CCC Camper Gives Back

Children’s Cancer Connection “kid” Alyssa Turcsak is all grown up, and now she’s ready to give back to CCC. Alyssa was diagnosed with childhood leukemia at the age of 5 and spent two years in chemotherapy before beating cancer. 

Alyssa, now 19, is a second-year student at Scott Community College where she will host a Mini Dance Marathon on March 27 in the Student Life Center on the Bettendorf campus.

Alyssa and her family were first introduced to Dance Marathon while she was being treated at University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Alyssa participated in her first Dance Marathon event in 2011,at the University of Iowa and again in 2012 at the University of Northern Iowa where she was a top fundraiser.

The Mini Dance Marathon event at Scott Community College is Alyssa’s way of giving back to Children’s Cancer Connection for the support she received as a child. She’s talked up Dance Marathon to other Scott Community College students in the past year and decided it would be perfect to have the event on the Iowa Quad-City campus.

In the past month, she has emailed hundreds of people to let them know of the March 27 activity, established a Facebook page for it and handed out brightly colored flyers to promote the event.

Alyssa said, “Camp made me realize I wanted to do something for other kids with cancer.”

See the full story in the Quad-City Times.

 The Mini Dance Marathon Details

What: Mini Dance Marathon
Where: Scott Community College, 500 Belmont Road, Bettendorf, in the Student Life Center
When: Noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday, March 27

Who: Anyone 16 years and older
Registration: $15, due by March 2 (includes a T-shirt and dinner). Late registration will be accepted.
Information: Alyssa Turcsak, call (563) 726-3976; email sccdancemarathon@gmail.com; online, go to Facebook.com and search for Mini Dance Marathon Scott Community College. Cody Tucker of radio station KBEA-FM (“B-100”) will serve as the DJ. Texas Roadhouse will provide food. Speakers will be from families who have been touched by cancer.

Welcome to Emily!

We are excited to announce that Emily Fish has joined Children's Cancer Connection's team as the Director of Donor Relations! Here is what Emily had to say about her first day at CCC.

Many years ago I set out to work with and alongside kids every day, and on February 13th my wish came true. It was my first day at Children's Cancer Connection. I hope that in the upcoming months, I can bring new and fresh ideas to the events as well as fundraising efforts.

I am anxious to meet each of you and get to know the entire Children's Cancer Connection family better. If you happen to be in the office or in the area please stop in and say "Hello". If there is anything that I can do to assist you or help you in anyway please let me know, I am always happy to help.

 I have been in the Des Moines area all my life and look forward to this new journey with Children's Cancer Connection. Finally, my sincere thanks and gratitude for your continued support of CCC!

For the Kids

In just a few short hours the University of Iowa Dance Marathon will host their BIG Event. Not to be confused with Children’s Cancer Connection’s upcoming The Big Event – A Silver Celebration, Dance Marathon’s BIG Event is a 24-hour Dance Marathon where students who raised the required amount of money assemble to celebrate the children survivors and remember the children who have passed away from cancer throughout the year. Dancers remain standing for the full 24 hours with no caffeine allowed! Live entertainment and a DJ help pass the time along with performances by local bands, University dance and theatre groups, and speeches given by many of the Dance Marathon families!

For the fourth year, University of Iowa Dance Marathon will use a portion of the proceeds raised to be the presenting sponsor of Camp Heart Connection! U of I Dance Marathon has a long tradition of providing both monetary and volunteer support to Camp Heart Connection.

Dance Marathon Dancer Emily Paul will spend her 7^th week as a volunteer at Camp Heart Connection this summer. “I’m involved with both CCC and DM because of the amazing opportunities they give me to help kids and their families stricken with pediatric cancer in an amazing and unique way while also learning so much from them,” Emily said. Emily also said that she loves what both organizations stand for. “Camp is a great place to be for a week, you get to escape form the real world and spend a whole week surrounded by people who care about the same things as you!”

Fellow University of Iowa Dance Marathoner Kyle Merrill volunteered at Camp Heart Connection for the first time last summer and described it as one of the greatest weeks of his life. Kyle’s friends introduced him to Dance Marathon, but he took it upon himself to become more involved in how families were supported by DM. “In both Camp and DM, the greatest thing in my mind is seeing these kids who have gone through so much treatment, and other things, be happy and smile,” Kyle said.

Both Kyle and Emily said that the kids provide the motivation for continued involvement. Kyle said, “The best way to put into words why I dance and spend so much time raising money, planning events, and spending a week at camp, is that it’s all ‘For the Kid,’ the motto of Dance Marathon.”

For more information on becoming a Camp Heart Connection volunteer please visit www.childrenscancerconnection.org/Volunteer

Holiday Cards by Kids are Here!

Send a Message of Hope this Holiday Season

It’s hard to believe that we are already talking about holiday cards but they’re here! The 2011 Holiday Cards by Kids Collection features 8 unique cards drawn by Camp Heart Connection Oncology and Sibling Campers.

Cards are available in assortment sets which include 24 cards (3 of each design) and 25 envelopes for $15 plus shipping and handling. On orders over 50 cards you may choose a single design package.

This year we have added some personalization options that can make your holiday cards even more special. Last year we offered free imprinting on order of 500 or more of the same design…but this year we’ve lowered that minimum order to 250! Custom personalization allows you to change the inside text of the card and add your own logo or picture which makes them great for corporate holiday cards.

Like the idea of personalization but don’t quite have an order of 250? We are offering the same personalization on orders of less than 250 for only $35. This is a great option for adding a family photo or family signatures to your holiday cards.

Ready to get your cards? Assortment sets can be ordered on our website. Please contact Channon Timm at (515) 243-6239 ext. 3 or Channon@ChildrensCancerConnection.org to place single design orders.

Childhood Cancer Butter Cow

CCC mom Janie Ostrem was awarded one of the “butter cows” that was on display at the Iowa State Fair this past week. Janie submitted an idea that involved having childhood cancer patients paint the cow, and then it would be displayed throughout the fair.
Janie painted the body of the cow and then brought the120 pound butter cow to the Blank Children’s Hospital Clinic to be finished. Children and families at the clinic pressed their hand prints onto the quilt of the cow.

Here are a few of the CCC families that spotted the Childhood Cancer Cow while enjoying the Iowa State Fair!

Garrett and Wyatt Kruse

Amanda Ostrem

Janie, Amanda, and Brynn Ostrem

Group picture provided by Janie Ostrem

Did you see the Childhood Cancer Cow at the Iowa State Fair? Send your pictures to Sarah@ChildrensCancerConnection.org to be added to the blog!

Thursday at Camp Heart Connection

Breakfast today was delicious, again. The kitchen crew has done an awesome job of keeping all of the campers and staff well-fed this week.

The annual camp basketball tournament started in the morning and continued throughout the day. The players had a good time and the top teams even got medals!

It was a great day for the pool after the tournament. The little ones jumped in and out of the pool, there were numerous water fights, and the older campers enjoyed going down the water slide.

Wednesday the girls had Aunt Fifi’s Princess Party, but Thursday was all about the boys. Mortimer’s Boys Only NASCAR Party was a huge hit. The boys were able to relax together after a day of activities and have a few afternoon snacks.

After dinner the campers got ready for the "All Camp Dance." The ladies had their hair and make-up done, and the guys put on their best t-shirts for the event. The All Camp Dance is a place for all of the campers to come together and bust a move. There was great music and everyone spent some time on the dance floor! Everyone was tired by the end of this night as today was busy, busy, busy.

Here are a few photos to take a look at:

Wednesday at Camp Heart Connection!

Wednesday was another great day at Camp Heart Connection!

The day kicked off with a great breakfast and polar bear swim at the pool. Then the campers headed down to the field where the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad's train picked us all up at Camp and we got to ride the train!  The trip had great views and we took a lot of good pictures.

After the train ride, it was back to Camp for lunch. During the afternoon all of the regular activities opened for the campers. The teens climbed the rock wall, the little boys rode the horses and all of little girls headed to "Aunt FiFi's Princess Party!" Before the party started the girls stopped by "Aunt FiFi's Dress Shop" and picked out their attire for the Princess Party. The older boys escorted the lovely ladies down to the party where they had snacks and put together a special princess-themed craft. 

In the evening we held "Camps Got Talent," the all-Camp talent show. After the talent show, the campers and counselors headed out to the woods for a campfire where they heard from Aunt FiFi. Aunt FiFi is the magical being that looks over Camp. She, along with her magical pet alligator Mortimer, make sure that all the cabins are clean, all the campers are getting along, and she even leaves special presents and notes around Camp for those who are good!

We had another eventful, jam-packed day! Here are a few photos from the day: (Click on the photos to view them in a larger format.)