Thank you to Grace and Sarah for supporting Children's Cancer Connection. With the help of friends and family, these two determined girls raised $525 for CCC by selling candy bars.

The countdown to Camp Heart Connection Oncology Camp has begun! In just 25 short days campers will be headed to the Y-Camp in Boone for the week.
Here in the office we have started printing cabin signs, making name tags, and putting the finishing touches on the week’s events!

Here’s what you can do in the final weeks leading to camp:

Campers:

1. Get excited! Camp is only 25 days away!
2. Be looking for your camper packet in the mail. This special mailing for you includes a packing list and tips on what to expect during your week at camp.
3. Join the Campership Challenge!

Parents and Family:

1. If you haven’t yet registered your child for camp, don’t fret! There’s still time. Click here to be directed to Camp Heart Connection’s registration page.
2. If you have already registered your child for camp please be sure you have submitted a photo, copy of insurance information, completed medical form, and immunization records to our office. Feel free to stop in and say hi, put your documents in the mail (1221 Center Street, Suite 12 Des Moines, IA 50309), fax us (515-243-5232), or scan your documents and email them to us at channon@childrenscancerconnection.org
3. Already completed the first two steps? Pat yourself on the back and relax until camp. Call us in the meantime with any questions. 515-243-6239 ext. 3

Camp Staff:

1. Be sure to continue to look for emails from CCC regarding the latest camp information.
2. Get creative, this year’s theme is “Once upon a time…” we are expecting some creative costume and cabin decorations.
3. Join the Campership Challenge!
4. Contact us with any questions at 515-243-6239 ext. 3 or channon@childrenscancerconnection.org

Interested Volunteers:

1. While our camp staff positions are filled, there are opportunities for day volunteers at both Oncology and Sibling Camp.
2. Click here to be directed to more information about applying for a day volunteer position.
3. Join our Camp Scavenger Hunt!

CCC Teen Josh Rowe along with his family and many supporters held another BYOF (Bring Your Own Fleece) Party to make blankets for newly diagnosed children, and to be given to Camp Heart Connection campers this summer.

Josh set his goal pretty high this year…100 blankets. Thanks to the support of so many Josh was able to break his goal by 3 blankets! All 103 blankets were hand delivered to CCC by Josh and his Aunt Kim (also the event organizer).

A huge thank you to Josh and his family for continuing to support Children’s Cancer Connection!

Camp Heart Connection Oncology Camp is just around the corner (June 9-15) and Sibling Camp is not far behind (August 11-17). There are still ways for you to get involved with Camp Heart Connection. Whether an individual or group, you can make a difference in the lives of over 300 children affected by childhood cancer this summer.
 
Become a day volunteer. Day Volunteers are needed June 10-14 and August 12-16. Camp Heart Connection is held at the Y-Camp in Boone, IA. Day volunteers provide support to week long camp staff in the Arts & Crafts, Program, and Kitchen areas. Day volunteers must be 18 or older. To apply, please visit https://secure.blueoctane.net/forms/PH07SXI09OIP.  
 
Join the camp scavenger hunt. Help us gather the much needed supplies that feed, entertain, and make each campers week at Camp Heart Connection special. Camp Heart Connection is offered free of charge thanks to many generous donors. Sign up to donate any of the items listed on our Camp Heart Connection wish list!

The 5^th annual CH2M Hill Golf Tournament will be held on Friday, May 31^st at The Legacy Golf Club. The shotgun start, 4-person best ball tournament includes 18 holes of golf with cart, reception, drink tickets, steak dinner, and golfer goody bag.
 
Additional tournament features include hole-in-one prizes, course contests, raffle prizes, and awards for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd, place foursomes.
 
For more information or to register visit www.iowacharitygolf.com

Greenland Homes is at it again. This spring Greenland Homes is building a second home and donating the profits from its sale to Children’s Cancer Connection. Thanks to the support of many local businesses the first home, built in 2012, allowed Greenland Homes to make a $50,000 donation to Children’s Cancer Connection.  

The 2013 home is located at 340 Aspen Drive NW in Bondurant, IA.

Join us on the Journey! Just like fighting childhood cancer, building a home is a journey. Join us on the journey by following the Greenland Homes CCC Project on Facebook for updates on the project and to learn more about the businesses making it all possible!

Children’s Cancer Connection will host the ultimate Des Moines Metro football experience – the “Legends of Iowa Football Tailgate” – at the Sheraton West Des Moines on July 12^th from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

This is an exclusive opportunity to meet and mingle with some of the best football players in Hawkeye history, while enjoying a tailgate style appetizers and silent auction! All proceeds to benefit Children’s Cancer Connection.

Tickets for the event are $40 for adults or $20 for children in advance. If any tickets are left they will be $50 and $30 at the door. Purchase tickets online or by calling Children’s Cancer Connection at 515-243-6239 ext. 2.

WHEN: Friday, July 12, 2013 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Sheraton West Des Moines on 50^th
TICKETS: Purchase tickets online or by phone at 515-243-6239 ext. 2

Thank you to Augustine Villa for hosting “Pie in the Face Event” on his dorm floor at Iowa State University. While being a freshman in college is enough to keep anyone busy, Augustine Villa is also finding time giving back to Children’s Cancer Connection.

Augustine’s Pie in the Face Event gave his dorm mates the opportunity to donate $2 to throw a pie in someone’s face. They could also elect to donate $3 and anonymously elect someone else to throw a pie in someone’s face. However, a donation of $4 would completely avoid you getting a pie in the face.

Thanks to his creative event, Augustine raised $136 for Children’s Cancer Connection! A big thank you to him and all who participated.

At the end of April, Children’s Cancer Connection Director of Operations and Volunteer Services, Elly Shaw, left for a position closer to her family in Knoxville, IA. Elly has been a part of the CCC family for over 20 years, first as a sibling camper, then volunteer, before spending close to 3 years in Children’s Cancer Connection’s office. We wish her well on her new journey and know that she’ll always be a part of our CCC family.

While sad to see Elly go, we are excited to welcome Phonsavanh Lovan as the new Children’s Cancer Connection Operations Manager. Phonsavanh is no stranger to CCC, in fact she’s been a Camp Heart Connection volunteer for 7 summers! We are excited to welcome her to the office and look forward to the impact she’ll have on our other programs and services as well.

You can contact Phonsavanh Lovan by email at phon@childrenscancerconnection.org or by phone at 515-243-6239 ext. 4

It’s not too early to be thinking about Children’s Cancer Connection’s Flapjack! Registration is now available for the 5K/10K, Celebration Stroll, and Community Pancake Breakfast. Click here to be directed to the Flapjack Page!

Join us in honoring children and families from across Iowa in the 3rd annual Flapjack 5K/10K! The event will take place on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at Water Works Park in Des Moines with an 8:30 a.m. opening ceremony and 9:00 a.m. race start time. Come be a part of the month long community celebration and support families throughout Iowa affected by childhood cancer.

New this year, official opening ceremonies will kick off the Celebration Stroll, honoring families in Iowa affected by childhood cancer. 5K and 10K races will follow the Celebration Stroll send off.

Tickets to the pancake breakfast are included in the cost of registration, or can be purchased separately for non-runners. Click here to purchase pancake tickets!

Last year we have a great turn out and hope to set another record for both attendance and money raised to support our families!

Learn more on the Flapjack Page or contact Emily at 515-243-6239 ext. 2.

Children's Cancer Connection awarded four CCC supporters with awards during The Big Event - Camping the Night Away held on February 28. Congratulations to Linda Roberts who was presented The MacDougall Award for Outstanding Volunteerism.

The Wellmark Foundation has contributed over $26,000 to CCC on behalf of Linda’s volunteer time through the Wellmark Blues Cares Giving Program.  Linda volunteers gives over 100 hours of volunteer time to the community, and then chooses to designate her company’s volunteer match dollars to CCC.  Linda has helped CCC with Camp Heart Connection, Family Camp, Survivorship Camp, and other special events.

Camp Heart Connection Leaders in Training (LIT) Program is for young adults who would like to be leaders at Camp Heart Connection and in life. The program is designed to give this group increased responsibility and prepare them for learning the role of a counselor.  

LIT qualifications and requirements include the following:
Been affected by cancer
Must be post junior year of high school
Able to commit to entire week of volunteering at camp or specific program
Possess strength and endurance required to maintain consistent supervision of campers for seven-day resident camping experience
Have visual and auditory ability to identify and respond to environmental and other hazards related to the activities of camp programs
Be a positive member of a staff team

Principal activities of a LIT include:
Provide support for staff in activity areas and with individual campers.
Assist cabin counselors in cabins as assigned.
Set a good example for younger campers.
Participate and show enthusiasm for each activity.
Be a team player with other LITs and staff.
Meet daily with LIT Coordinators.  

Learn more about applying for an LIT position at http://www.childrenscancerconnection.org/documents/lit.doc

2013 will mark Camp Heart Connection’s 26^th year of summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings. YOU can be a part of the celebration by participating in this year’s new and improved Campership Challenge!

The goal of the challenge is the same; to raise as many funds as possible to keep providing Camp Heart Connection free of charge to all children who are eligible to attend. Children’s Cancer Connection is striving to improve our recognition program, and enhance the way we show our appreciation to our dedicated families and friends by providing a fresh and new incentive program.  

While there will be more individual incentives than in years past (including a stylish new CCC Tervis Water bottle), this new program is primarily focused on collective fundraising. Each individual’s fundraising total will be added together with each of their cabin member’s totals to create one big total per cabin. That whole cabin will then be eligible to receive one of seven great incentives ranging from an extra hour of pool time to a VIP limo ride and dinner, based on the amount of money their cabin has raised. The idea for this approach is to get EVERYONE-campers, camp staff, and parents-involved in fundraising for Camp Heart Connection! Please stay tuned for more specific information on these special incentives!

Fundraising is easier than ever with Philanthropig! The safe and secure online fundraising tool allows each individual to set up their own account, and send the link out to their family and friends to begin collecting donations. For directions on how to set up your own personal Philanthropig page, please click HERE.

If you are uncomfortable with accepting donations online, Children’s Cancer Connection will provide you with materials to fundraise offline. If you are interested in collecting donations this way, please contact Development Coordinator, Kirbie Totten at Kirbie@ChildrensCancerConnection.org, or at 515-243-6239 ext. 6.

If you are interested in supporting Camp Heart Connection through the Campership Challenge, please get started right away and encourage your friends and family to get involved in the campaign as well! This program is a fun and easy way to provide this year’s Camp Heart Connection campers with the best camping experience yet!

CCC volunteer (and donor) Katelyn Cinnamon was featured on the cover of the West Des Moines edition of Iowa Living Magazine. At the end of February CCC awarded Katelyn the first annual young philanthropist award at The Big Event - Camping the Night Away. Read more about Katelyn and her work for CCC.

Here is a link to the article "Kindergartner to Disease:'So Long, Cancer' - Take a Bit Out of This" written by Beth Dalbey for the West Des Moines Patch. Great articles that features one of our CCC families!

http://westdesmoines.patch.com/articles/kindergartner-to-disease-so-long-cancer-and-take-a-bite-out-of-this#photo-13665444

Join us for a weekend of fun at Children’s Cancer Connection’s spring family camp! The theme this year is “Everyday’s a Holiday” so pack your favorite holiday attire and get ready for a weekend the whole family will enjoy. Family Camp will be held from 7:00 p.m. on May 3 until 9:00 a.m. on May 5 at the Y-Camp in Boone, IA. If you cannot make the entire weekend but you don’t want to miss out on the fun, don’t stress! There are two options to choose from.

1. Option One: Whole Weekend – Your whole family can join us for a weekend of fun including: meals, activities, crafts and snacks. Cost – $60 / family
2. Option Two: Saturday Only – Your whole family can join us for crafts, activities, lunch and snacks on Saturday only. Cost – $30 / family

All registrations are due by April 1, 2013. Cabins and activities will be assigned as we receive registrations. Upon registration, you will receive a family camp information packet to complete and return so we can make your stay even more fun! Register Now!

If you have any additional questions, please contact Channon: (515) 243-6239 ext. 3 or Channon@ChildrensCancerConnection.org. Also, please contact Channon if you’d like to discuss financial assistance.

Join Children’s Cancer Connection for A Weekend to Remember, a program for families that have lost a child to pediatric cancer. This family camp will be held April 20-21 at the Y-Camp in Boone from 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 20 until 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 21.

The weekend camp is an opportunity to share, remember, and socialize with other families who have experienced the loss of a child. The cost is $25 for the weekend, which includes all meals, lodging, and activities.

All registrations are due by April 1. Cabins and activities will be assigned as we receive registrations. Register now!

If you have any additional questions, please contact Mark at 515.243.6239 ext. 1 or Mark@ChildrensCancerConnection.org. Also, please contact Mark if you’d like to discuss financial assistance.

Survivorship Camp will be held Saturday, May 4 through Sunday, May 5 (with the option of arriving Friday, May 3) at the Y-Camp in Boone, IA. The weekend is an opportunity for survivors of childhood cancer, age 18-39, to share, learn, and socialize with other survivors.

This year’s theme will be Everyday’s a Holiday, so pack your favorite holiday attire and get ready for a weekend of catching up with old friends while making some new ones!

The cost to attend for the weekend is $25. This includes all meals, lodging, and activities. Financial assistance is available.

Register online at ChildrensCancerConnection.org/survivorshipcamp or call Channon at 515-243-6239 ext.3 with questions or to request a paper application.

The following blog was written by guest blogger and Whiff It Des Moines 2013 committee member, Chris Juhl. 

Whiff It Des Moines is a semiannual wiffleball tournament in the spring and fall where proceeds go to support local children’s charities.  In 2010 five friends decided to organize a tournament where teams can compete and socialize in a fun “tail-gate” like environment.  After organizing numerous fundraisers, we were looking for an unique event that would attract people beyond the typical bar-crawl, golf tournament, or softball tournament.  After competing in another wiffleball tournament we decided this was what we were looking for, so we took the challenge to take it to the next level, and “Whiff It” was born.

The 2013 Spring Classic will take place on Saturday May 4th at Campbell Park in Clive, IA, Registration is now available.  The cost for one co-ed team, of six to eight people (equal number of men and women alternate batting, see all the Whiffing Rules), is $200 (includes event t-shirt for each team member).  There are four guaranteed games, with round robin pool play in the morning and a seeded tournament starting around noon.  The event also has a home run derby and prizes from our generous sponsors, like The Keg Stand, Jethros BBQ, and Madhouse Brewery, handed out to the winners of the tournament and derby.  Around 100 people participate in this event, tailgating in the parking lot and cheering on friends, provides an environment
for people to enjoy the day and support two worthy causes; Children’s Cancer Connection and the Kiwanis Miracle League.

We also have happy hour events throughout the year for teams to socialize and talk a little smack, follow us on Facebook (Whiff It Des Moines) and Twitter (@WhiffItDSM) for information about these events.  If you have any questions feel free to go to the website, www.whiffitdsm.com or e-mail us at whiffitdsm@gmail.com.  Help us beat our record of 20 teams this spring and get your friends together to come “Whiff It for the kids!”

Children’s Cancer Connection presents the 2013 FIT (Flapjack in Training) Program! Together we can become more FIT, help put smiles on the faces of children fighting cancer and cross the finish line of Des Moines’ premier road races. Don’t give up on your New Year’s Resolutions, just give them more meaning.

 Learn more about the FIT Program at an information meeting on April 1st from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Jasper Winery (2400 George Flagg Pkwy, Des Moines, IA 50321)

Join us for hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and a cash bar. Come learn why you would FIT in with us!