In the Spotlight
Candlelighters is nothing without the people who make up our community, from our families to our volunteers to our supporters.
Below, we shine a spotlight on some of those whose presence in and contributions to the Candlelighters community are a vital part of what keeps our work going.
Please honor them with us!
The Poirier Family
Meet the Mills-Poirier Family of Albany. They are right in between Portland and Mid-Willamette Valley, so we get to see them at both Portland and MWV activities, and Joey is an active member of the Luminaries, Candlelighters Teen/Youth group. We spoke to Melissa...
The Santillan Family
Three-year-old Tatiana and her mom, Juana, like to eat, cook, and watch movies together. Her favorite toys are Minnie Mouse, Frozen, and unicorns. She enjoys watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Minnie Mouse. Her favorite foods? Beans, all kinds of berries (black...
The Perkins Family
14 year old Alex is a die hard San Francisco 49r fan, whose favorite player is Jimmy Garoppolo. Alex loves anything Marvel. He watches all the movies, reads the comics, collects the figures, and even wrote Marvel and received an honorary avenger badge. Alex loves the...
Healing on the Farm
After her son Julian was diagnosed with childhood cancer in 2019 and died in 2020, Jennifer Bridges, founder of Embrace Compassion, decided to honor his memory by making life brighter for kids with cancer. She and her family opened their farm to local families...
McCormick Family
I had never heard of retinoblastoma until I was sitting with an ophthalmologist with Derek, then 1, while 36 weeks 5 days pregnant with my second child. The Dr. was so kind. He told me to drive to Portland and be the first person in the Casey Eye Institute parking lot...
Simpson Wight Family
"In November of 2014, I noticed my 8 year old son Robert, had a swollen lymph node of the side of his neck. He felt fine and had no other symptoms, yet this swollen lymph node was large and didn't go away. I was refused appointments with his pediatrician, who insisted...
A Letter from Melissa Rose, Board President
Excitement is in the air at Candlelighters! From our board and staff, to our amazing volunteers and community partners, we eagerly greet the promise of this new year. I feel so honored to step into the role of board president at this time. As an organization,...
“Volunteering Empowered Me”
"I started volunteering with the Mid-Willamette Valley chapter in 2019 after my niece was diagnosed with ALL at the age of two. I helped as much as I was able but I felt very powerless to make any difference in all that was going on in their lives. Journey was...
Partner Spotlight: Don Jones of John L. Scott
We know that Don Jones of John L Scott Real Estate has been a rider and that John L Scott has been a sponsor of Ride for a Child for years. But we wanted to learn more about the how and why he chose to give to Ride for a Child...Here's his story. Q How did you get...
Central Oregon Chair, Kimberly Banner
"I first learned about Candlelighters in 2014, when my daughter was diagnosed with AML at the age of 10. We stayed at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital throughout her treatment and met some of the Candlelighters staff when they served dinner or stocked the food pantry....
Lauren Conn, Candlelighters Programs Intern
I am a Programs Intern at Candlelighters in my final year of the Bachelor’s in Social Work program at Portland State University. I wanted to intern at Candlelighters because I hope to get my Master’s degree in social work and become a pediatric hospital social...
Margie Jones
If you've ever received a thank you note from Candlelighters, you would recognize Margie Jones's beautiful handwriting. Margie shows up cheerfully every week at the Candlelighters office, ready to file, enter data, hand write thank you letters, or anything else that...
Welcome Thursday Night Motocross!
September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month really showed us the love and support we have in our community. We're thrilled to welcome our new community partner, Thursday Night Motocross. This was the first fundraising event they have held to benefit Candlelighters,...
Norlift Oregon and The Leslie Family
We talked with David Leslie, 2020 and 2021 Ride for a Child Chair about his family and family business, Norlift's long standing involvement in Ride for a Child. Q. How and when did Norlift get involved in RFAC? Norlift got involved thru Dick Hartung, founder of Ride...
First Republic and Jeff Yandle
Jeff (pictured at Ride For a Child 2019, far right) serves as Treasurer on the Candlelighters Executive Board, and Sr. Director of Wealth Management at First Republic Bank. It will be his 10th year riding for Ride for a Child - that's dedication! Thank you Jeff, and...
Partner Spotlight: Don Jones of John L. Scott
We know that Don Jones of John L Scott Real Estate has been a rider and that John L Scott has been a sponsor of Ride for a Child for years. But we wanted to learn more about the how and why he chose to give to Ride for a Child...Here's his story. Q How did you get...