Friends and supporters of JoyRx gathered together on Monday, August 5, 2024, at the beautiful Willamette Valley Country Club in Canby, Oregon, to tee off for the sixteenth annual CCA Invitational.

JoyRx is excited to welcome Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin as our newest hospital location in Austin. On June 26, 2024, we launched live, bedside music for children and families in the hospital.

Today we’re sharing the news that Grace Holland will be stepping down from her role as Regional Executive Director, South, for JoyRx.

Today on July 25, JoyRx celebrates our twenty-ninth birthday as an organization. It’s been an inspiring and humbling twenty-nine years and we’re so grateful for all of our supporters coming on this journey with us.

On Tuesday, June 25, JoyRx Music took to the stage to host a summer concert at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.

Tresa is one of our new JoyRx Mentors this year as part of the JoyRx Mentorship program, where mentors help seriously ill kids elevate their mood through laughter and play. This trusted companionship and kindship is a cornerstone of the program — and that sense of community is an important value for Tresa as an individual.

For two sunny days, golfers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond came together at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club near Portland, Oregon, to celebrate the fourteenth annual Golf for Joy Tournament.

For children at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Bilingual Musical Storytime is more than just a chance to listen to music — it’s also an opportunity to learn more about their world.

We’re pleased to announce our newest hospital partner for 2024. Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, joined the JoyRx Music Network on May 7.  

On Monday, May 20, a joyful group of golfers took to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for the fifth annual Golf for Joy Challenge. With the goal to play as many holes of golf as possible from sun-up to sun-down, each swing of the golf club was in support of JoyRx and the children we serve.

We are thrilled to announce that JoyRx Mentorship has supported over 100 matches as we reach the end of our 2023-2024 fiscal year. Launched in 1999, JoyRx Mentorship is a crucial program for JoyRx, fostering companionship and friendship for children experiencing treatment and hospitalizations.

It’s Volunteer Appreciation Month! Founded to celebrate current volunteers and encourage others to join volunteering efforts, this month of gratitude highlights the importance of giving back to the community.

On April 21 and 22, 2024, JoyRx welcomed golfers to our second annual Golf for Joy Austin Tournament, presented by NFP. After a successful inaugural event last year, we were thrilled to return to Omni Barton Creek Resort & Country Club for an exciting two-day celebration of joy. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of supporters like you, we raised more than $245,000 in support of JoyRx Music.

It’s been a fruitful fiscal year for JoyRx Music’s programmatic expansion across the country. From Portland to Austin to New York City to Memphis — we’re ending our 2023-2024 fiscal year at the end of April 2024 with 46 pediatric hospital and healthcare partners, including 10 new sites in our network.

Editor’s note: This special edition blog was written by JoyRx Music Manager Elke Downer.

What a week! JoyRx Director of Partner Engagement Allyn Cripe and I recently attended and presented at the forty-seventh annual APOSW (Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers) conference, which took place in Chicago, Illinois, from April 8 to 10.

As the founder of JoyRx, I am writing on behalf of my colleagues on the Board of Directors to inform you of a leadership change. After nearly three years as our CEO, and over six years at the company, Danielle York and JoyRx | Children’s Cancer Association have parted ways.

Every February, JoyRx partners with local Joy Maker businesses to celebrate joy all month long.

This year, we teamed up with KATU news, local businesses, and members of the community to raise critical funds for our JoyRx Music, Mentorship, and Nature programs.

When asked to describe five-year-old Randy, Irene’s face always lights up, and her answer is immediate: “He is brave and strong and brilliant.”

On February 8, 2024, JoyRx celebrated our annual Live From the Heart Benefit Concert presented by Texas Children’s Austin, raising over $350k in support of JoyRx programs to serve seriously ill children and their families.

It started with knee pain: Eight-year-old Hadley complained about her knee hurting and her mom, Launa, took her to the pediatrician. At first, it seemed it was only a possible injury from PE or recess.

But Launa could never have guessed the real reason behind her daughter’s pain.