Festival of Trees and Lights

Dear Friend,

My name is Leah Churchman and I would like to introduce myself as Chair of the Book Tree Committee for this year’s Festival of Trees and Lights which will take place at the Polk County Convention Complex (5th & Grand) November 25-29. I am writing to share my family’s story about our experiences with the services Festival supports and to ask for your help in filling the Festival’s Book Tree with new books that can be given to young patients throughout the year.

What is the Festival of Trees and Lights?
The Festival is an annual event supporting the Child Life and Advocacy & Outreach programs at Blank Children’s Hospital. The Book Tree stands more than 18 feet high and holds thousands of donated children’s books which will be given to patients and family members.


What services do the Child Life and Advocacy & Outreach programs provide?
The Child Life and Advocacy & Outreach programs have a direct impact on children and their families at Blank. Child Life Specialists provide recreational, therapeutic, developmental, and educational programming for hospitalized children and their families in order to make the healthcare experience as positive as possible. The Center for Advocacy and Outreach is a statewide resource for education and information regarding children’s issues. Both of these programs are provided to everyone at no cost, and no one is ever turned away for any reason.

How do these programs directly impact families?
My family has personally experienced how important these programs are to hospitalized children, their parents, and their siblings. Due to a severe illness, my daughter, Jess, spent extended periods of time at Blank which, of course, also affected me, my husband, Drew, and Jess’ twin brother, Kade. The Child Life specialists not only ensured Jess had everything she needed to pass the long hours, but also provided Kade with books, craft supplies, toys, and trips to the playroom; planned birthday parties; dropped off holiday goodies; and made frequent visits to Jess’ room to check on her progress. Their kindness and compassion helped soften the edges of difficult situations our family faced.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to talking with you about ways you can help us fill this year’s Book Tree. In the meantime, if you have questions about the Festival or the Book Tree, feel free to contact the Festival Office at 241-6494.

Sincerely,
Leah Churchman
Book Tree Committee Chair

Catch The Spirit Volunteers Needed May 6th

Catch The Spirit Volunteers Needed May 6th:

The Heart Connection needs your help on May 6th! Catch The Spirit is an annual 5K event held in memory of camper Megan Koepke in Waverly, Iowa. We are looking for 30 volunteers to help make this special event happen. Volunteers are needed at 4 pm, and we will provide dinner after the event! To get involved with this event, please contact Brecka@childrenscancerprograms.com.

Survivorship Conference Help Wanted

Survivorship Conference Help Wanted:As you may know, we are proud to be hosting our first Survivorship Connection Conference on March 28th! We have an exciting lineup of speakers and agencies involved, but are could always use more help! The Heart Connection is looking for people or groups interested in helping with the following:Participant Recruitment: Registration forms are now available, and they will be up on our website very soon! We also have promotional materials about the conference if you are willing to promote the conference at your place of business.Workshop Presenters: If you have heard a great speaker on a topic related to cancer survivorship recently, please pass their information on to us! Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Samples: If your company might be interested in sponsoring this conference, exhibitor space, or distributing product samples to our attendees, please contact us. If you would like to help, or for more information about this conference, please contact brecka@childrenscancerprograms.com .

Each year The Heart Connection relies on about 150 week-long volunteers to help make our camps a great experience for children with cancer and their siblings. We also recruit 25 day volunteers and several large groups to help out throughout the week. Week long camp staff applications will be available online next week, and day volunteer applications will be available in March. If you are interested in making the difference in the lives of our campers, please watch www.childrenscancerprograms.com for updates on how to apply! Cancer is a part of their lives...so are we!