Joyful News
Learn about the kids and families we support and the volunteers, staff, and partners who make it all possible.
If you are a member of the media, and you want to connect with our team to help share the story of JoyRx, please email Press@JoyRx.org.
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Valentine’s Day for CCA – In Photos
Our annual Valentine’s Day for CCA live, on-air fundraiser is almost here.
Meet CCA Hero, Jacob
Seventeen-year-old Jacob Daskalakis has a contagious smile and a zest for life that is apparent the moment you meet him. He loves riding his dirt bike, running, cheering on the Portland Trail Blazers, and making others laugh.
Giving Hope for the Holidays
The holiday season is over, but we aren’t done celebrating quite yet!
Music Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Tim Uecker
An experienced MyMusicRx Volunteer, Tim Uecker has played music for kids battling serious medical illnesses for over 15 years. He started volunteering in 2001 when he was working at a local music shop and heard about the MyMusicRx Hallway Harmonics volunteer music program.
Outwit. Outplay. Outdonate. – Central Catholic HS Fundraiser
For the second year in a row, Central Catholic High School students came together to raise funds and awareness for CCA. In an amazing show of support they raised over $11,000 in 9 days!
Meet CCA Hero, McKenzie
In 2014, life threw McKenzie a pretty big curveball. She came down with what seemed to be a simple case of the sniffles — but was actually a rare virus that caused devastating polio-like symptoms. Twelve days later, she was paralyzed from the neck down.
Our Story Is About Epilepsy
At 18-months-old, Colton started having seizures. What began as a mere eye flutter, eventually escalated into 5-hour long episodes and a medically induced coma.
This Is Why We Bedstock
This #GivingTuesday MyMusicRx proudly presented Bedstock, an online music festival where artists perform from bed in solidarity with sick kids spending the holidays in hospital beds. In just 7 short days, the festival has raised $45,000 and counting, including an incredibly generous $10,000 match from our brand partners, Converse.
Meet CCA Hero, Xavier
If you want to strike up a conversation with Xavier Jackson, just ask him about trains. This friendly nine-year-old will be happy to tell you everything you ever wanted to know, from the different types of engines to the history of locomotion. (It should come as no surprise that he wants to be a conductor someday.)
Bedstock 3 – Bigger and Bedder
CCA and MyMusicRx are pleased to announce the return of Bedstock, a life-changing, award-winning, music festival where artists perform from bed as a show of support for seriously ill kids spending the holidays in hospital beds. Bedstock takes place on Giving Tuesday (November 29) and it’s going to be “Bigger and Bedder” than ever!
Meet CCA Hero, Marcella
Marcella Mercado is a courageous young woman who dances circles around her cystic fibrosis — literally. She loves to dance, everything from hip-hop and lyrical to jazz and ballet. Although her disease requires her to take a few extra precautions, she refuses to let it get in the way of her life.
Sixteenth Wonderball, a Glamorous, JOYful Night, Raised $1.3 Million
Nearly 800 of our most passionate supporters attended the sixteenth annual Wonderball, a glamorous Havana-themed nightclub experience that raised over $1.3 million to further CCA’s mission of prescribing joy to seriously ill children and their families.
Meet CCA Hero, Jesse
Ask his friends and family to describe Jesse, and one word always comes up: generous. This thoughtful 18-year-old loves to put others before himself, even though he’s the one who’s fighting leukemia.
Purple-Out, a Spectacular Walk For Joy Kickoff, Coming Up October 2
We were floored by the incredible showing from Central Catholic and Jesuit High School students during the varsity football game at Jesuit’s Cronin Field last Friday night.
Meet CCA Hero, Jazzy
Make way for Jasmine “Jazzy” Soria-Pons! She may be just three years old, but this sassy little girl is already running the show. “One night at the hospital, she got all the other kids out of bed and led them down the hall in an impromptu parade,” laughed her mom Monique. “She’s just a natural born leader, I guess.”
Eighth Annual Children’s Pro-Am Raises $240,000, Crosses Million Dollar Mark
Rain showers couldn’t dampen the giving spirit this year at the Eighth Annual Children’s Pro-Am, Led by CCA Board Member Grant Hammersley and presented by Davidson Benefits Group and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.
¡El Baile! – 2016 CCA Wonderball
Each September, CCA’s most passionate friends and supporters come together for the Wonderball, our biggest and most magical fundraising night of the year.
Meet CCA Hero, Henry
Henry is a good-natured three-year-old with a serious thing for superheroes and garbage trucks. He faces every day with boundless energy and joy—in fact, the first thing he says when he wakes up is, “Yay! It’s morning time!”
Meet CCA Hero, Holly
Holly is a sweet, quiet third-grader who loves the color purple, practicing the piano, singing, riding her bike, and playing board games with her parents and four siblings.
Meet CCA Hero, Aaron
At 13, Aaron was already a Renaissance man. He played the alto sax. He sang in the choir. He’d even trained in ballroom dancing. And in the midst of it all, he battled leukemia.
Create Joy with us!
Individuals and organizations can make a difference in the lives of the kids and families we serve through giving, volunteering, partnering, creating events, and so much more.