Children's Cancer Association
JoyRx Heals
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
At Childrens Cancer Association (CCA), we know it takes more than medicine to treat cancer and serious illness. When a child is facing lifes most challenging moments, they also need emotional healing. For nearly three decades, we've been doing just that: delivering programs to help young patients find their Joy: one song, one friendship, one breath of ocean air at a time. Because when a child experiences Joy, their emotional well-being is positively impacted. Simply put: Joy makes sick kids feel better. JoyRx Music, Mentorship, and Nature programs create feel-good moments for young patients and help them positively shift their mood to relieve the sadness, anxiety, and isolation experienced during lengthy treatments and hospitalizationstransforming their pediatric healthcare experience. We envision JoyRx at pediatric health care settings across the United States, embedding Joy alongside medical care for all seriously ill children and teens.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
JoyRx® Music
Since 1995, JoyRx® Music (formerly MyMusicRx) has drawn on the universal power of music to buoy spirits and energize, enabling young patients to feel Joy during the stressful and painful experiences related to extended hospitalizations and treatments for life-threatening illness.
Live programming (Oregon, Texas, Massachusetts): CCA's professional staff musicians engage hospitalized kids of all ages and diagnoses within the hospital environment, allowing them to choose the “music medicine” bedside experience that best fits their current emotional place and desired mood.
Digital Live programming (national): Developed in responses to hospital need during COVID, JoyRx Music offers digital services to reach pediatric patients wherever they are. Our trained specialists can be there virtually at bedside, through a concert in a clinic setting, or through pre-recorded videos direct to patients.
On-Demand programming (national): JoyRxMusic.org is available on-demand 24/7 and offers sick kids access to exclusive artist performances, music lessons, games, and more.
JoyRx® Mentorship
JoyRx® Mentorship (formerly Chemo Pal Mentor Program) fosters trusted companionship to inspire laughter and distraction. The only program of its kind in the nation, Children’s Cancer Association’s trained, adult, volunteer Joy Mentors provide emotional support to young patients in treatment and critical support to parents who endure the hardship of long hospital stays with their children.
A cross between a supportive playmate and a trusted listener, Joy Mentors bring lightness. In the hospital, they arrive with bags full of toys, games, and activities and do their best to make their young friends belly laugh and smile ear-to-ear to relieve their stress and anxiety, dispelling feelings of loneliness and isolation. Virtually and remotely, they spend time on chat and video calls and exchange old fashioned pen-pal letters. Mentorships can last multiple years and often the bonds of friendship are still strong long after the final treatment.
JoyRx Mentorship has matched more than 1,500 kids with a trusted Joy Mentor since 1999.
JoyRx® Nature
JoyRx® Nature provides an essential connection to nature and instills hope and resiliency. Families close the gate behind them at Children’s Cancer Association’s Alexandra Ellis Caring Cabin® on the Oregon coast and find themselves a world away from the hospital, nestled in 24 acres of surrounding woods with plentiful wildlife and a serene lake with its very own rowboat.
The Caring Cabin is an extraordinary place for children in treatment and their extended families to relax, explore, and create once-in-a-lifetime memories. Many tell us afterward, they feel a kindred spirit with the hundreds of families just like theirs who have “been there,” and left CCA-provided, personalized rocks along the pathway to the lake, commemorating not only their stay, but the long, hard road they have each taken. This no-cost, five-day retreat restores the energy needed to battle serious illness.
The Caring Cabin has welcomed more than 500 families since 2006.
Community Outreach and Education
In addition to our core program offerings, CCA is proud to provide comprehensive resources and information to families facing the profound trauma of a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
CCA's Kids' Cancer Pages, currently in its fifth edition, is the first-ever national resource directory on childhood cancer and was recognized by the National Cancer Institute as "the most comprehensive guide for families currently available." It is sent free-of-charge to every pediatric hospital in the country and we provide a searchable PDF online on our website at JoyRx.org. For families battling cancer and the medical professionals who care for them, this one-stop directory is a vital support tool. A special local edition, Family Support Pages, is a comprehensive community resource connecting families in Oregon and Southwest Washington to essential items and services. An updated version was released in 2019, along with one-page handouts on particular topics.
At CCA, we know that it can be a challenge to balance hospital stays, doctor visits, and caring for your child while accomplishing everyday tasks. As part of our community outreach efforts, CCA staff and volunteers relieved stress and brought peace of mind with services like providing a clean house and tidy yard, turnkey dinner boxes, and backpacks filled with age specific back-to-school supplies, for seriously ill children and their siblings.
Volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization: they mentor children, share their musical talents, staff community events, host toy drives, and serve on our leadership boards.
CCA volunteers make a powerful difference in the lives of children in need. In return, they find their own life changed by the extraordinary spirit of these courageous kids.
Where we work
Awards
Heart of the Community Volunteer Innovation Award 2009
Hands on Greater Portland
Match of the Year 2010
Oregon Mentors
Most Admired Companies 2010
Portland Business Journal
Best Nonprofits to Work For 2011
Oregon Business Magazine
Orchid Award 2007
Portland Business Journal
Torch Awards Oregon Charity of the Year 2019
Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific
Oregon's Most Admired Companies 2019
Portland Business Journal
Oregon's Most Admired Companies 2018
Portland Business Journal
Oregon's Most Admired Companies 2017
Portland Business Journal
Oregon's Most Admired Companies 2016
Portland Business Journal
Small Budgets, Positive Social Change 2017
Effie Awards, North America
Best Agency/Client Collaboration 2016
Digiday Content Marketing Award
Best Interactive, Non-Profit Website 2016
One Show Silver Pencil
Affiliations & memberships
NonProfit Association of Oregon 2020
Portland Mentoring Collective 2020
Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers 2019
Institute for Youth Success 2020
MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership 2020
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of youth mentored
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families
Related Program
JoyRx® Mentorship
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The pandemic drastically impacted our ability to match new mentors with children in treatment, but we are building back this program.
Number of families that stay at the Caring Cabin
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with diseases and illnesses, Children and youth
Related Program
JoyRx® Nature
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Of the 52 weeks available per year, we strive to send as many families as possible to the Cabin. Necessary maintenance closures, last-minute cancellations, and Covid-19 result in service fluctuations.
Number of professional artists employed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
JoyRx® Music
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
JoyRx Music Specialists are highly trained professional-level musicians and educators. They provide tailored, bedside music experiences to pediatric patients at our participating partner hospitals.
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families
Related Program
JoyRx® Music
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Includes all forms of in hospital service to children provided by staff, volunteers and guests.
Number of clinic sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families, People with diseases and illnesses
Related Program
JoyRx® Music
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Hospital served by CCA's JoyRx programming.
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Volunteer hours tracked across all CCA programs and events.
Total number of kids and family members served across all programs.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families, People with diseases and illnesses
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Fiscal Year of May 1 - April 30.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
CCA delivers Joy-based programming to optimize the emotional and mental health of young patients, resulting in measurable and immediate improvements to wellness.
We are partnering with the health care system to move beyond pharmaceutical and surgical interventions, because Joy is a powerful immune system enhancer to maximize wellness. Our vision is for a human-centered healthcare environment where JoyRx is a standard of care across the nation.
By 2025, CCA aspires to deliver free access to JoyRx for more than 50,000 hospitalized young people by expanding the national presence of our flagship program, JoyRx Music. Tailored music medicine experiences reduce anxiety, elevate mood, assist with pain management, and improve emotional well-being. JoyRx Music's versatile combination of bedside and digital/virtual services make it a resilient program accessible to hospitalized and/or quarantined children in need of the comfort and engagement of music during this period of increased isolation.
We are overjoyed that a program designed, tested, and developed in Portland, Oregon is sought after by leading pediatric health care facilities across the country, and CCA leadership is working with regional hospitals and community champions to seize this momentum. As the national leader in Joy-based programming, we strive to become the preeminent provider of customized bedside music medicine, transforming the healthcare experience for young people in the United States.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have a robust and comprehensive plan that spans all areas of CCA, from infrastructure and programs to fundraising and brand. We invest in capacity and leveraging technology across the organization, deepening our hospital alliances, stretching to reach ambitious revenue goals, and cultivating new brand partners to achieve our business priorities and ensure continued program expansion for children facing pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses.
CCA is committed to learning from and collaborating with innovative experts who are shedding new light on musics positive impact on health outcomes. With our nationally unique JoyRx Music program at the center, we have partnered with Randall Children's Hospital and Legacy Research Institute to publish a study of the healing effects of customized music medicine on postoperative pediatric patients. We are inspired by and continually listening to mounting international research that measurably illustrates the positive impacts of music medicine on physical and psychological health conditions within the healthcare environment.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since our founding in 1995, CCA has grown exponentially, from a tiny organization staffed with a handful of volunteers to one of Oregon’s top 10 Most Admired Companies for seven years running (as reported in the Portland Business Journal), with an annual operating budget of over $6M, more than 40 employees (many of whom are experts in their respective fields), 100+ extraordinary business and community leaders on the Board of Directors, Pacific Northwest Leadership Council, Young Professionals Council, and JoyRx Music Champs, and 3,000+ volunteers.
This growth was made possible by our bold investments in our people, systems, and strategic growth. CCA prides itself on maintaining deep relationships with individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners to ensure our programs remain free-of-charge to children, families, and hospital partners. Our most important asset is our people: our professional team members power our mission impact and innovation, helping us deliver the highest quality of programming possible to the children and families who count on us.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 1995, CCA has inspired $47M in charitable donations to fuel JoyRx and has invested $41M back into the community by providing seriously ill kids and teens with individually tailored experiences designed to relieve their stress, anxiety, and feelings of isolation through the healing power of music, friendship, and nature. Last year, CCA delivered JoyRx to 10,079 youth via twenty pediatric hospital partners nationwide.
To position JoyRx as a best practice in pediatric hospitals nationwide, we have concentrated efforts to expand the reach of JoyRx Music, our flagship music medicine program. JoyRx Music bedside service continues to be deeply invested in our headquarters in the Pacific Northwest, serving both Randall Children’s Hospital and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon. We have also been providing active bedside service to Boston Children’s Hospital since 2016, and St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas, since 2018. Partnerships have recently been made with six additional pediatric healthcare sites in the Northeast and South markets, including Floating Hospital for Children in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dell Children’s Medical Center clinics in Austin, Texas.
In the next five years, CCA seeks to provide free access to Joy-centric programs to more than 50,000 children and teens annually by expanding the national presence of our JoyRx Music program.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Children's Cancer Association
Board of directorsas of 02/29/2024
Andrea Corradini
Nike, Inc.
Term: 2021 -
Regina Ellis
Founder, Children's Cancer Association
Paul Gulick
In-Focus, Clarity Visual Systems
Andrea Corradini
Nike, Inc.
Scott Burton
Providence Health Plans
Rosemary Colliver
ShadowMachine
Aaron Cooper
Moonshot Molecules
Suzann Baricevic Murphy
(w)here inc.
Sonja Steves
Legacy Health
Scott Lawrence
Breakside Brewery
Lesley Otto, MD
Physician & Surgeon
Bill Foudy
Target
Rob Goodman
American Medical Concepts, Inc.
Ryan Beckley
TerraFirma
Catherine Gonzalez-Lofgren
Certified Project Manager
Kelly Long
Manifold
Jen Balint
Wayfair.com
Dennis W. Donley, Jr.
Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee, PLCC
Lori Harris
Trademark Leadership
Zach Hyder
Hubbell Communications
Caleb Noel
NFP
Todd Palmerton
Wasserman
Traci Ray
Barran Liebman LLP
Laura Shipley
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/20/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.