The 2nd / 3rd grade classroom at Resurrection Catholic Primary School (RCPS), located in Tualatin, Oregon, committed to spread Joy for their 2021 – 2022 service project by supporting JoyRx, the mission delivery of Children’s Cancer Association.

Over the course of the year, the staff and children hosted a variety of fundraising activities to sell handmade goods: custom cards created from their artwork, hand-crafted Christmas ornaments, and a plant sale of the homegrown flowers the kids fostered from seeds.  The fundraising proceeds, of which 100% of the items sold were produced from the school children, raised enough to provide 625 kids with a musical egg shaker.

As RCPS wrapped the school year with a celebratory art show, families were encouraged to bring a donation to fill the JoyRx Mentorship closet housing the most requested toys, games, books, and crafts for the served kids. Since 1999, the program has matched more than 1,500 children undergoing lengthy treatment regimens with a trained and trusted adult mentor volunteer. The community showed up in a big way, donating approximately 50 items for the closet.

The schools support didn’t end there. They created flyers and large banners to promote the fundraising activities, accompanied by inclusion in the school newsletter and social media posts to further the awareness campaign.

“The kids enjoyed creating their own things to sell and they loved being the ones who were able to sell the items themselves. They were involved in the entire process from beginning to end,” said Mary Esterline, RCPS 2/3 Grade Teacher. “Many of our kids and staff have friends or relatives who have had long-term, life-threatening illnesses, and we’ve had several conversations how JoyRx makes a difference in the lives of children and families they serve.”

The RCPS fundraising objective to support kids and teens facing cancer and other serious illness through the JoyRx program offerings exceeded their expectations. Their community support overwhelmed the teachers and children, knowing their contributions to JoyRx will continue to help kids and teens 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.

If you’re interested in hosting a fundraising event to bring Joy to seriously ill kids and teen, contact Grace Dooney at gdooney@joyrx.org.