JULY | AUGUST 2018
Candlelighters
FAMILY Connections Congratulations to our 2018-2019 Candlelighters Continuing Education Scholarship Winners!! Candlelighters awarded 3 scholarships worth $2,500 each to Candlelighters teens: Emily Burgess, Elizabeth Lofurno and Jaylynn Melby Tercero. This year’s scholarship selection process included a volunteer committee panel who reviewed and selected the 3 recipients. These volunteers have a diversity of backgrounds, including being parents of a child diagnosed with cancer, longtime volunteer with Candlelighters, a former nurse, a former principal, a teacher, and 2 professors. Emily Burgess is a 19 year old college student at Portland State University where she is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. Emily was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001, and describes her cancer experience as having “taught me many lessons I don’t think I could have learned otherwise, or at least not in such a meaningful way…I strive to be more empathetic to the situations of others”. Emily was recently accepted into Build Exito, a
Emily
research program at PSU, where she will be mentored by people in the field of neuropsychology, and she volunteers with cancer organizations in her free time.
Elizabeth
would her classes at school: “every chemotherapy transfusion was like a lecture….lingering side effects equivalent to homework…blood work appointments were like weekly quizzes… big unit exams: PET and CT scans”. She became so interested in the hospital procedures and various occupations of the people there, that she learned the protocol of chemo, how to read scans and blood work, and even how to draw her own blood. Elizabeth plans to go into the healthcare field and is an avid lacrosse player.
Elizabeth Lofurno is a graduating senior at West Linn High School who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma her sophomore year. Not to be deterred by her cancer diagnosis, Elizabeth says she approached her treatment like she
Jaylynn Melby-Tercero attends Lane Community College where she is studying Communications. In 2016, while Jaylynn was away at college, she was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma. She underwent a nine hour brain surgery to remove the tumor four days after diagnosis,
Candlelighters For Children With Cancer publishes Candlelighters FAMILY Connections six times a year to provide news and other information to families affected by cancer in Oregon and SW Washington.
Jaylynn resulting in her having to withdrawal from school and move back in with her mother. Jaylynn describes her cancer journey as showing her “how to appreciate life, every person around me, and every day I am given”. Jaylynn finished treatment in December 2017, has organized a fundraiser for the Glenn Garcelon Foundation to raise funds for patients with brain tumors and their families and volunteers to help others who are experiencing cancer.
Our mission is to provide a community of healing, hope, and light throughout the life-long journey of childhood cancer. We advocate, we educate, we build partnerships, and we foster solidarity for all families experiencing cancer.
CANDLELIGHTERS STATE-WIDE ACTIVITIES SATURDAY, AUGUST 18TH
SUPERHERO 5K
Suit up in your favorite superhero costume and recruit your friends, family and co-workers to join you in support of regular kids fighting extraordinarily tough battles!
8:30am - 5K Run/Walk 10:00am - Kid’s Obstacle Challenge Cook Park in Tigard Join Candlelighters For Children With Cancer at our 6th Annual SUPERHERO 5K Run/Walk. It’s a morning of fun for the whole family with a 5K Run/Walk, Kid’s Superhero-In-Training Obstacle Challenge, themed family activities, therapy animals, and SUPERHEROES from throughout the community.
Candlelighters families attend the SUPERHERO 5K at NO-COST. Register at : candlelighters.akaraisin.com/superhero5k. When registering and purchasing t-shirts, enter code: HEROFAMILY. Contact Jennifer at Jennifer@candlelightersoregon.org with any questions.
SEPTEMBER 1ST – SEPTEMBER 3RD
Candlelighters Family Camp Camp Harlow Eugene, OR Join us for our signature NO-COST Candlelighters Family Camp! The weekend will be full of fun activities including swimming, go-karts, bumper
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boats, mini golf, zip lining, horseback riding, campfires, games, a magician, yoga, children’s haircuts, Parent’s Social Hour, Bereaved Parents Social Hour, and more. Camp is free for all immediate family members and includes lodging and meals! Don’t miss out on this actionpacked weekend of fun!
For more info, please visit www.candlelightersoregon.org, select Family Camp listed in the Programs Tab for Family Camp application and eligibility. Contact Kristin at: Kristin@candlelightersoregon.org with any questions.
Candlelighters For Children With Cancer
PORTLAND METRO
SOUTHERN OREGON
JULY 27TH
Teen Program – The Luminaries
RSVP to Kristin
Jetboats
5:30 pm, Location To Be Determined The Teen Program will have a social outing in late July. Activity, date, and location have yet to be decided. Stay tuned for more information. Teen Program is open to any teen that has been diagnosed with cancer or a teen sibling aged 13-19.
MID WILLAMETTE VALLEY JULY 2OTH and 21ST
SUNDAY, AUGUST 5TH 3:15 p.m. Location
To join us for JETBOATS! You MUST text and/or call Kim with your family’s names and ages ASAP. We had to PRE-PAY for this wonderful adventure and there are limited seats available. RSVP to Mary Lou or Robyn
RSVP to Kim
THURSDAY, JULY 26TH
Relay For Life Friday at 12:00 pm until 10:00 am Saturday morning. PK Park (Next to Autzen Stadium) 2760 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Eugene, OR 97401 Join us for Relay For Life! We will gather for pizza prior to the Survivors Lap on Friday evening. The pizza is being provided by the Delta Delta Delta alumnae group. Times are still being worked out and information will be sent out before the event. All participants must be registered for the event and information will be coming out on how to get registered.
Fishing the McKenzie River Friday at 12:00 pm until 10:00 am Saturday morning. The trip is already full and it is going to be another fantastic day on the river catching fish! We will be treated to a hot breakfast before we take off and a barbecue lunch will be waiting for us when we finish. For those coming, be sure to remember your hat and sunscreen!
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NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE
PAID
PORTLAND, OR PERMIT 948
6600 SW 92nd Ave, Suite 160 Portland, OR 97223 (P) 503.719.4244 (F) 503.214.5567 www.candlelightersoregon.org Change Service Requested
Non-Candlelighters Events Race takes place on September 1
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jackie Groah 503.719.4244 jackie@candlelightersoregon.org
Trail of Heroes Tigard, OR Hero Up Half Marathon would like to honor your children on the Trail of Heroes during their race on September 1st in Tigard. During each year’s race, they honor those special children who have battled cancer by creating a “Trail of Heroes”. This trail, along the race route, will show pictures of those children as a way to remind race participants why this event is so important. This trail is for any child who fought or is currently fighting cancer, regardless of their outcome. If you or someone you know would like to have their child highlighted along the Trail of Heroes go to: https://hero-up.org/trail-of-heroes/
AUGUST 4TH
DreamNight at the Zoo (Only for chronically and terminally ill children)
CANDLELIGHTERS STAFF
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PROGRAMMING AND EVALUATION Kristin Burgoyne 503.719.4244 kristin@candlelightersoregon.org DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS Philip Giles 503.719.4244 phil@candlelightersoregon.org DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS & PARTNERSHIPS Jennifer Jones 503.719.4244 jennifer@candlelightersoregon.org DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS Chris Kramer 503.719.4244 chris@candlelightersoregon.org CHAPTER CHAIRS:
5:00 – 8:00 pm Wildlife Safari 1790 Safari Rd Winston, OR 97496
Wildlife Safari is proud to announce their annual DreamNight at the Zoo, a global event for chronically and terminally ill children and their families. The evening is a special, cost-free event, with entertainment and animal interaction that you might not normally have a chance to experience. You’ll be welcomed into Safari’s 600 acre animal drive-through, and then afterwards enjoy games, prizes, snacks and face painting. Contact Tracy at (541) 679-6761 ex 228 or events@wildlifesafari.net.
MID-WILLAMETTE VALLEY CO-CHAIRS Mary Lou Bradley Robyn Thompson 541.687.0697 541.521.8035 mloubradley@comcast.net robynthompson8035@gmail.com SOUTHERN OREGON CHAIR Kimberly Bruhn 541.292.3058 kimberlybruhn@hotmail.com CENTRAL OREGON CHAIR Darcy Davis 541.419.6426 centraloregoncandlelighters@gmail.com
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