Portland, OR. The Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) raised $1.27 million at its 19th annual Wonderball gala on September 28th. It was CCA’s biggest event of the year, which helps fuel its mission to prescribe joy to seriously ill children through free innovative programming that leverages music, friendship and nature. Founder Regina Ellis, who is pictured with friends and family, welcomed more than 950 supporters to the Oregon Convention Center for the gala. A Joie de Vivre theme celebrated French culture and the joy of life.
Cedric Berry, Board Member, CCA and Insurance Agent, State Farm; Sarah Berry, Vice President and Director of Business Development, McGee Wealth Management; and Campbell Kidd, Managing Partner, Red Hills Acquisitions, LLC
Kristofor Lofgren, CEO and Founder, Sustainable Restaurant Group
Ron Penner-Ash, Board Member, CCA and Winemaker
Clare Hamill, Founding Board Chair, CCA and VP, Nike Growth Initiatives and Judi Davis
Scott Burton, Vice Board Chair, CCA and Director of Revenue Management & Portfolio Positioning, Cambia Health Solutions; Allison Clarke, Co-Chair, Ambassador Board, CCA and President, Allison Clarke Consulting; Brian Dickinson, CEO of Asset Protection Partnership; Regina Ellis
Ed Kinateder; Andy Lytle, Board Chair Emeritus, CEO, At the Joy, and Co-Founder Lytle-Barnett; Tara Kinateder, Board Treasurer & Finance Chair, CCA and Executive Vice President, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management
Kevin Dodson, Vice President/CFL, Global Basketball Footwear, Nike; Susan Dodson, Partner, Right On Accounting LLC; Jim Ford, NIKE SuperCore Footwear, DVP; Greg Smith, Category Footwear Leader, Men’s Training Footwear, Nike; Kim Smith; Aaron Cooper, Innovation Expert, Nike, Inc.; Barry Naone, Senior Director Product Creation, Nike Basketball; Julie Moraes; Myron Moraes, Sr. Development and Innovation Director at Nike
Mimes interacting with guests in the hallways before the main event
Erin Tamblyn performing in opening number, “Lady Marmalade.”
Anthony Chan dancing in opening number.
Family speaker, Heidi Bruno shares emotional story before live appeal
CCA-served Levi Seed shares an inspiring speech CCA’s impact during his cancer treatment
John Simpson, Board Member, CCA and startup advisor; and his guests
Blisan and Bill Foudy, President, Target Sourcing Service and CCA Board Member
Eric Gill, President/CEO, Gill’s Point S Tire and Auto; Peter Kwong, Board Member, CCA and Audit Shareholder, Director of Assurance & Advisory, Perkins & Co; Brent Bracelin, Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst, Piper Jaffray; Ian Lombard, Scott Lawrence, founder of Breakside Brewery and CCA Board Member
Eileen McNulty, Physician Assistant, NW Dermatology Institute; Carlene Pride-Sarpong, Founder of Pride Group NW and Managing Broker and Development Specialist at Compass; John Powers, Co Ambassador Board Chair, CCA and Director of Sales, Xperience Real Estate, PDX Property Group; Stephen Bowdon, Department of Neurological Surgery, OHSU; Chris Suarez, CEO of PDX Property Group at Keller Williams; Kristi Weidner
Jesuit High School students and Paul Hogan, (4th from left) Board Member, CCA and Principal, Jesuit High School
John Duley, Co-Founder, Dream Again; Genesis Trujilo, Design Project Manager, Portland General Electric; Chase Renton, Owner and Winemaker, L’Angolo Estate; Noelle Harvey; Marcus Harvey, Founder, Portland Gear; Kelsey Fuson, Marketing Manager, BurnCycle; Jessi Duley, Board Member, CCA and Founder, BurnCycle
CCA-served child, Maria, and CCA Chemo Pal Specialist, Amelia, selling raffle tickets in French attire
Mary and Dana Braner, Chair, OHSU Department of Pediatrics
“Because we know that joy is medicine. We are creating a gold standard for delivering joy-based programming that will one day reach every child in the country who’s facing serious illness,” said Regina Ellis, Founder and Chief Joy Officer at CCA. “Together we have fought to deliver joy to the children and their families of this community. And now we have the opportunity to take what we’ve made here and share it with children across the nation.”
Guests enjoyed live gypsy-jazz music courtesy of the Hot Club on Hawthorne, as they explored a curated silent auction room decorated to resemble a French outdoor marketplace.
The French outdoor theme followed throughout the lobby with vintage bicycles, an antique Citroen car, fresh baguettes and lavender, live painting and, of course, mimes. In addition to creating an outdoor French marketplace environment in the lobby and halls, CCA recreated imagery of the Moulin Rouge inside the main ballroom, including a miniature model of the windmill on the main stage.
The main event opened with a rendition of Patty LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” sung by Erin Tamblyn and Malia Tippets and augmented with performances by local drag queens: Anthony Chan, Jeremy Sloan, Chadwick Anderson and Erin Shannon. The master of ceremonies for the night, Stacey Murdock, who recently played Gaston in the Portland Opera’s recent production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” carried the program through to the end, where Danielle Barker performed an upbeat cover of “La vie en Rose” to close out the night.
The dinner program featured a record-breaking paddle raise led by auctioneer Kelly Russell of Artisan Auctions. Late-night revelers also enjoyed an after-party with DJ Stray at District East, which carried over the French theme and was hosted by CCA’s young professional board.
Here’s a video about CCA’s programs:
Here’s a link to more information about the Children’s Cancer Association: JoyRx.org/donate.
Portland, OR. The FIFA Women’s World Cup is underway in France and over the first weekend of play, at least one sports network reported a 11% rise in viewership compared to the 2015 tournament. A surge in viewers is positive news for Portland-based Nike, because the company will get more eyes on its new advertisements, several of which have a “girl power” message.
Online viewership of the Women’s World Cup streaming content has spikes 310% compared to 2015.
Many U.S. viewers are cheering for the defending champions, the U.S. Women’s National Team, which won its first game against Thailand on Tuesday. The USA team will play its second game against Chile on Sunday, June 16th. Amid the sport’s growing popularity, Nike is debuting a short film to inspire young girls.
The new advertisement was created by Portland’s Wieden + Kennedy for Nike. It’s called called “Dream Further.” Here’s a look at the messaging for young women:
The new campaign is an extension of the “Kids are made to play” messaging aimed at drawing attention the importance of keeping kids active.
For more information about “Kids are made to play here’s a link: https://purpose.nike.com/kids-play
Portland, OR. The Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) raised $1.2 million at its 18th annual Wonderball gala on September 29th to fuel its mission of prescribing joy to seriously ill children and their families. CCA welcomed more than 800 supporters to the Oregon Convention Center for a night inspired by the healing power of the great outdoors and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. It was a theme embraced by CCA Founder Regina Ellis; Jessi Duley, Founder, BurnCycle; Amy Montagne, VP/GM Global Categories, Nike; Andrea Corradini, Women’s Global Senior Footwear Product Director, Nike; May Shelstad, VP/GMM Global Merchandising, Nike.
Joanna Summers, Young Athletes Operations, Nike, Inc.; Holly Moore, Principle, Holly Moore Design; Danielle York, President, CCA; Jennifer Balint, Senior Executive Recruiter, Amazon, Inc.; Carly Grimes, Lifestyle/Home Decor Designer, Merchandiser Mom LLC
Mike Ellis, Mary Lytle, and Andy Lytle, Division VP, Jackson Family Wines and CCA Board of Directors
Stephen Bowden, Academy Mortgage; and Quinlyn, CCA-served kid dressed as woodland animal
Paul Gulick, co-founder, InFocus, and his guests Lisa and Lou Williams
Nike team featuring Sabreena Cook, Blair Cook, Ashley McMullen, Matt McMullen, Natalie Howes, and Phil Howes
Mark Barzda, Gevurtz Menashe; Michael Preisz, Preisz and Associates; and Albert Menashe, Gevurtz Menashe
Doug Fish, Fish Marketing; Michelle DeCourcy; Rosemary Colliver, Board of Directors Chair and LAIKA, Inc.; Frank Weiss, Partner, Tonkon Torp
Portland band, Lenore, set the mood for the evening with their original song, “Breathe”.
Lilly Webb, teen speaker and Jesuit High School senior, shared her uplifting story of recovery and leadership
Scott Burton, Director of Revenue Management, Regence BlueCross BlueShield, CCA Board of Directors, co-hosted the main program
Painted Sky Northstar Dance Company kicked off the evening with an immersive performance celebrating the Pacific Northwest
Presenting sponsors, Regence BlueCross BlueShield
Celebration sponsor, Randall Children’s Hospital
CS Sheffield, Co-Chair, CCA Ambassador Board and National Oncology Account Manager, Merck, interviewing Bronwyn Houston, President, Randall Children’s Hospital, Legacy Emmanuel for Facebook Live
Will Carey, family speaker, and Sasquatch
John Power, Director of Sales, PDX Property Group; Kenneth Avery, Hasson; and Josh Hackenjos, Broker, Keller Williams
Abby Guyer, VP Brand, CCA; Clare Hamill, VP Global Growth Initiatives, Nike; Judi Davis; Regina Ellis, Founder and Chief Joy Officer, CCA.
“Upon founding CCA, we knew first-hand that kids needed more than medicine, so we set out to change the conversation in pediatric healthcare at a time when no one else was talking about joy in the same breath as cancer,” said Regina Ellis, Founder and Chief Joy Officer of Children’s Cancer Association during her keynote speech. “Reflecting on the past 23 years, CCA’s trailblazing programs have leveraged music, friendship, and nature to transform moments of pain, isolation and fear in children and teens with serious illness. We are the only organization of our kind positioning joy as best practice in children’s hospitals across the nation.”
A record-breaking paddle raise was led by Kelly Russell of Artisan Auctions following inspiring addresses from Jesuit High School senior, Lilly Webb, a member of CCA’s Young Adult Alliance; and CCA parent, Will Carey, who shared the powerful ways CCA continues to support his family, even after the loss of his son Jack fourteen years ago.
Wonderball event décor featured full campsite stage and lobby sets generously provided by REI and Cabela’s respectively. Other highlights included dramatic sunrise, sunset, and night sky lighting; real Douglas Fir trees and greenery; live chainsaw art; and Sasquatch himself, complementing camping themed cocktail and dinner menus including S’mores White Russians.
Guests enjoyed live music throughout the night with performances from Out West, Lenore, and a host of Portland “troubadour” musicians who played tableside during the dinner hour before the formal program began with a dramatic traditional dance from Painted Sky Northstar Dance Company. The evening ended with a sing-a-long rendition of “Country Roads, Take Me Home” followed by an after-party for late night revelers with DJ Rev Shines at Spirit of 77.
CCA’s Wonderball was made possible by the Presenting sponsor, Regence BlueCross Blue Shield of Oregon. Additional sponsors included PDX Property Group as Lead sponsor and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel as Celebration sponsor
You can get involved by donating to Children’s Cancer Association at JoyRx.org/donate.
Portland, OR. Do you know of a school or nonprofit (in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Yamhill or Columbia counties in Oregon, or in Clark County, Washington) in need of funds? Be sure to share this information about a grant application for the Nike Community Impact Fund. Many local nonprofits have benefited including a group, posing with Nike Paralympian Gold Medalist Will Groulx, working to provide soccer for all Portland youth.
Grants are one-year awards of $5,000 to $20,000. Eighty percent of the grants support projects that deliver impact through the lens of sport and physical activity, while the remaining 20 percent support organizations and projects that address community challenges through innovative solutions.
Since 2010, the Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF) has been administered from Nike World Headquarters by a committee of employee volunteers that has awarded 300 cash grants totaling more than $3.2 million dollars to local programs that promote sports and physical activity for youth and address pressing community needs. Through this fund, Nike employees award at least $550,000 per year to nonprofits and schools in the Metropolitan Portland region and in Southwest Washington.
The Spring 2013 Nike Employee Grant Fund recipients.
In 2016, NCIF expanded from an Oregon-focused program to include the backyards of all Nike Community Stores in the U.S. These additional stores include: East Los Angeles, South Chicago, downtown Detroit, New Orleans, Washington DC’s Ivy City neighborhood and Flatbush, Brooklyn. Each of these Nike Community Stores will offer $40,000 in annual grants, of $5,000 each, to eight local non-profit groups that make physical activity, play and sport a highly valued part of everyday life.
As part of the program’s expansion, NCIF will engage a committee of employee volunteers from each of the local communities where grants will be awarded. During this fiscal year’s granting cycle, Nike employees will help award nearly $800,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations and schools across communities in the U.S.
Nike believes in the power of sport to change the world. We know that sport is inspiring and unifying, and creates opportunities for individuals and communities to realize their full potential.
Portland, OR. Stormy weather didn’t deter people from attending Oregon Harvest Dinner at the Oregon Food Bank’s NE Portland warehouse. A record breaking $670,000 was raised to support hunger relief programs in Oregon and Clark County, Washington. “By coming together we can feed the human spirit and end hunger,” said Susannah Morgan, CEO of Oregon Food Bank. “I was delighted to hear from so many people about their desire to make sure no one is hungry.”
Oregon Food Bank board member Syd Hannigan chaired the October 15th benefit which was emceed by Ken Boddie and Jenny Hansson of KOIN 6. Fred Meyer was presenting sponsor and other major sponsors included Whole Foods, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Hampton Affiliates, Northwest Farm Credit Services, and Safeway Albertsons.
The event also honored the 2016 Hunger Hero Award winners. Sponsored by Mike and Libby Crawford, awards were presented to just a few of the many individuals, business and groups for their commitment to eliminating hunger.
Blues legend Reggie Houston provided entertainment for guests at Oregon Harvest Dinner.
Oregon Food Bank supporters Judy and Brad Johnson attended Oregon Harvest Dinner.
Oregon Food Bank Board Chair Josh Hinerfeld (Interim COO, SeQuential) and board member Kerri Hoyt-Pack (VP, Global Brand, Direct-to-Consumer, Nike).
Libby & Mike Crawford, John Gehrs (Pacific Foods), Susannah Morgan, Peter Stoll, Molly Ott & Isiah Ott (Polehn Farms), Patti Whitney-Wise.
Board member Arnie Gardner (Nike) is retiring from the board and was honored for his 16 years of service to Oregon Food Bank.
The five Hunger Heroes awards given included:
Donor of the Year – Oregon Lawyers Against Hunger (OLAH): For their humble and relentless commitment to raise funds for Oregon Food Bank and support the mission.
Food Donor of the Year – Pacific Foods: For their significant and ongoing donations of healthy food to ensure everyone has access to good nutrition.
Jackie Fearing Volunteer Award – Peter Stoll: For his boundless energy, dedication and compassion in helping others who struggle with hunger.
Leadership Award – Polehn Farms: For taking action to ensure people living in the Columbia Gorge have enough to eat
Jerry Tippens Advocacy Award – Patti Whitney-Wise: For her tenacious efforts to fight the root causes of hunger by promoting food programs and working on policies to provide pathways out of poverty.
Next year’s Oregon Harvest Dinner has been set for October 21, 2017.
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