As we wrap up spring and look forward to all of the sunshine and fun summer brings, there is a whirlwind of activity for Candlelighters with a mix of family programming and exciting new partnerships! We are looking forward to hosting Family Day on June 1! One of our new partners, Sam Hiatt, defender for the Portland Thorns, will be at Family Day as a volunteer and also signing soccer balls! It will be a memorable day for all.
In terms of other family programs, we launched a range of new programming to meet the ever-changing needs of our families with Parent’s Night Out and Siblings Club. Parent’s Night Out allows parents to recharge and the Siblings Club creates space for siblings of served children to come together. In addition to family programming, we have bolstered our in-hospital programs with the opening of the Randall Children’s Hospital food pantry as well as bi-monthly dinners at Doernbecher. Both have been a big hit and have made a huge impact!
We are thrilled to announce two new partnerships. One, as previously mentioned, is with the Portland Thorns, as their charity of choice for this year’s season. We are thrilled to collaborate with the dynamic sports team and elevate the cause of pediatric cancer to a broader audience.
Candlelighters has also been selected as the Portland charity partner for a new initiative by WCP Solutions, WCP Cares. For every case of Northwest Copy Choice paper sold, WCP will donate $1 to Candlelighters. This kind of partnership and steady financial support is critical for us to be able to meet our operating budget and keep being there for our families every step of the way. If your business is interested in supporting Candlelighters in this way, please reach out to me!
On the fundraising front, we have ample opportunities for donors to keep supporting our work. On June 4, we will host Glampfire & S’mores at Ardiri Winery, a beautiful winery in Cornelius.If you can’t make it, we have a raffle along with an online silent auction that donors can participate in. We also have also started our Ride for a Child fundraising. We are eternally grateful to our sponsors, riders, donors and honored kids that help support our biggest fundraiser of the year!
We also need to mention our foundation partners including Marie Lamfrom whose generous support over the past three years has kept our emergency financial assistance program going as well as the Siletz Tribal Charitable Foundation that just awarded us a grant. Foundation grants comprise close to 45% of our revenue. Thank you!
As always, we are truly grateful for our donors’ sustained support. During these tumultuous times, organizations like Candlelighters are more important than ever, offering hope for our families during the most difficult times. Thank you for always being there for Candlelighters.
Thank you for always being there for Candlelighters,
Daniela Meltzer, Executive Director