Walmart associates at the Walmart #640 store on Woodruff Road kicked off the Children's Hospital Miracle Campaign on May 1.

Note: Meet our newest staff member, Dianne Dillon! She works with Dania, Zach and Jenn on the annual giving team, and she’ll be joining us as bloggers. We hope you enjoy hearing her stories, including the one below, as much as we do!

Around our offices the next few months is about corporate Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) Campaigns. At the end of April, Children’s Hospital of Greenville Hospital System celebrated with Walmart and Sam’s Club associates their success for the 2011 Miracle Campaign and kicked off the 2012 campaign. With over 40 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in the district, a whopping $639,000 was raised to support the GHS Children’s Hospital in 2011.

Walmart and Sam’s Club associates heard a Miracle Family’s story (the Thompson family). Christy Thompson (mom) shared with us her daughter Neely’s story and what Children’s Hospital meant to her family. The powerful presentation ended with very few dry eyes and a celebration of life, partnership and awards to stores that grew their campaign the most through various fundraising efforts. To top it all off, they received a tour of Children’s Hospital that they had just heard so much about.

At the beginning of May, I had the opportunity to go to a Walmart store Kick Off. Each associate had written on a balloon what the Children’s Hospital CMN Hospitals campaign meant to them. Once outside the balloons were released and the air was filled with the colorful balloons. It was very festive! One associate shared her story of how her family was touched by the support from CMN Hospitals and how her grandchild is alive today because of the wonderful doctors and nurses in our area. This was truly a grateful associate and patient family. It reminded me why I got back into the fundraising field.

Before this Miracle Campaign, I didn’t realize how much Walmart partners with the community. It was an inspiration to me to see how involved the stores managers and associates rally around the Miracle Campaign. To be a Walmart cashier and ask EVERY shopper coming through their line if they will donate to the campaign and not to get discouraged at the varied responses, what a testimony to the dedication to their campaign.

I know the next time I’m asked by an associate of Walmart to support Children’s Hospital, I will be saying “YES!” to helping the children in our community! What will your response be?

I can’t believe I haven’t attended a Dragon Boat Upstate Festival before this year! What an amazing experience to see so many people join together for one purpose: to paddle for cancer research and rehabilitation through the GHS Cancer Center and the Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR).

I was humbled by the overall experience, but one specific individual stood out to me. I met a woman who was in the hospital for cancer treatment on Friday and on Saturday, the very next day, she was sitting in a Dragon Boat tent, cheering for her team. She told me she wasn’t going to let treatment get in the way of being at the Dragon Boat Upstate Festival this year.

That conversation impacted me for the rest of the day and carried into my Sunday. Here is a woman who is actively going through cancer treatment, visibly tired but with such a positive outlook on what the Dragon Boat Upstate Festival means to the community.

She was supporting her team that day, but more importantly, she was there to support cancer research and rehabilitation. She was fighting for a purpose that was bigger than her circumstances. She was an inspiration to me and others that day.

I know I won’t miss another Dragon Boat Upstate Festival. I invite you, if you haven’t been part of a Dragon Boat Upstate Festival, to gather a team together and paddle in next year’s event. It’s an experience of a lifetime!

See the fun for yourself through pictures from this year’s event at dragonboatupstatesc.org!

In celebration of Dragon Boat Upstate Festival week (the event is this Saturday, April 21 at Portman Marina on Lake Hartwell), I’d like to share another story from one of our paddlers. It’s been an honor to collect these stories from our paddlers – it reminds me how truly important this festival and its fundraising are for our cancer patients and their families! You can see earlier stories here and here.

This one is from Juanita Longoria, a member of the Moving On team:

“Why am I paddling in this year’s Dragon Boat race? Simply put, because I can! About six months ago, I would not have been able to make such a statement.

I also desire to give back to those who have invested so much time and effort to my health and well being, and to also help those who may come after me in need of the care I received.

As a colon cancer survivor, I have directly benefited from the services Dragon Boat is striving to support, research and rehabilitation. When my chemo treatments became complicated with an allergic reaction, the tests and research determined the most effective treatment options. The work ITOR is doing helped to provide my physician with valuable information on what therapy my particular case required.

Now enjoying remission, I am on the verge of graduating from the Moving On program. I am so thankful for the Moving On staff. Under their careful watch, they helped to show me what I was capable of, and encouraged me on. I know I would not be as physically active as I am today if it were not for their efforts and this valuable program.

I cannot say enough about the health care professionals at GHS, the Cancer Center, and those heading up the Moving On program. I am honored to be able to paddle this year alongside some of my heroes, and so thankful for their work that has allowed me to be able to participate in this year’s race.”

Visit dragonboatupstatesc.org to see stories from paddlers in our featured videos!

The carnival’s coming to town, y’all.

On April 29, the Children’s Hospital Sun Fun Carnival rolls back into the Healing Garden at Greenville Memorial Hospital. I know from being there and snapping photos that it’s a fun, special day, and I know that it’s one of the highlights of my year.

But that’s just my perspective – this year, I wanted to get to the root of why the carnival is such an important, powerful day for children and their families from someone who knows the carnival best.

To do that, I stopped by Children’s Hospital last week to talk with Child Life Specialist Kym Hoffman. There is nothing – nothing – like hanging out with a Child Life Specialist. They work with pediatric patients every day, making sure kids have creative opportunities to cope with treatment through play, education and self-expression activities. Simply put, they’re awesome.

Check out Kym’s stories about why the carnival matters, about what the day is like and about feeling the community’s support in the video above.

If you’d like to bring the carnival to life with a gift through Virtual Toy Drive, click here to make a difference.

As long as I live, I will never forget March 27, 2012.

It was a day months (and for lots of folks, years) in the making – it was our Bryan Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Wall of Hope Unveiling Ceremony, where we celebrated the children and adults whose portraits would be serve as an expansion to the existing wall.

This wasn’t just any ceremony – at this ceremony, an infant’s cry or a toddler’s stream of chatter wasn”t met with shushes or sidelong glances. Those cries and those bits of chatter were like little victory songs, reminders that the smallest guests had made it and reminders of why we were all there.

At this ceremony, 16 families invited their nearest and dearest to share in their special moment, filling tables and filling the community room at Greenville Memorial Hospital with laughter. One of my favorite parts of the night was meeting some of these families (whose stories I’d read so often I felt like I already knew them), including a great uncle down from Chattanooga, Tenn., for the ceremony.

“I wouldn’ta missed it for the world,” he told me, beaming.

At this ceremony, we told stories. Medical Director of Neonatalogy Bryan Ohning shared how families didn’t just see the NICU wall covered in photos of former NICU patients (now happy, healthy kids) as a wall of hope -they saw it as a wall of expectation, a wall of things to come. Photographer Tiffiney Addis of Tiffiney Photography explained how her daughter Sadie Mae, born at 25 weeks in the NICU, started it all for her: her appreciation for the care at GHS Children’s Hospital, her understanding of the impact of the Wall of Hope, her passion to give back to families like hers.

At this ceremony, we saved the best for last: 16 families gathered around each of their portraits, covered in black cloth throughout the night, to unveil the newest additions to the NICU Wall of Hope.

At this ceremony, there were audible gasps and visible tears when those 16 gorgeous black-and-white portraits were revealed.

At this ceremony, there was hope.

If you’d like to see the kids and families featured in the NICU Wall of Hope project, click here.

One month to go til Dragon Boat Upstate Festival April 21 at Portman Marina on Lake Hartwell!

In the past six years, Dragon Boat teams, often made up of doctors, patients, family members, friends and co-workers, have rallied together and raised over $500,000 for cancer research and rehabilitation at the GHS Cancer Center.

That’s pretty impressive.

You know what else is impressive? Hearing from the paddlers themselves about why they join a team, fundraise and row like there’s no tomorrow. Last month, we shared one of those stories with you.

We just couldn’t resist sharing another one of our paddlers’ stories with you. Here’s why Bryan Dove paddles, in his own words:

“I have fought cancer for the past six years. During this battle I lost a kidney and my bladder. I am pleased to say that I am cancer free and thrilled to be a part of this event!

I started in the Moving On program just six weeks ago and I have received so much from it. I never dreamed my strength would come back to me. I have been able to do much more from the help I received from Noreen and her staff.

I thank God for healing me from cancer and Greenville Hospital System for their effort to help so many in so many different ways.”

Why do you paddle? Share in the comments below! You can also give in honor of your favorite paddler or team here.

Janet Winn (left), joined by Joe Stephenson, M.D. (right), presents Debbie and Rick Cunningham with a special gift on behalf of the Winn family. The clock represents the time their gift will provide families battling cancer as research results in new treatments and one day, a cure.

Today I’d like to share one of the most touching moments I’ve experienced at the Office of Philanthropy and Partnership.

Our great friends, the Winn family, lost a patriarch, Karl Winn, to cancer five years ago. Instead of letting that tragedy rule their lives, the Winns turned their grief into a cause that they would all rally behind. They formed Winn the Fight to raise funds that would fight cancer in honor of Karl.

I attended the first meeting where the family’s cause found a direction. Oncologist Joe Stephenson, M.D. told the Winns about a major need for cancer research, a tissue banking initiative at the GHS Cancer Center. They got on board and pledged to raise the $250,000 needed for the tissue bank.

Over the next four years the Winns would raise over $200,000 (much of it $10 at a time) through barbecues, auctions, and their boat at the Dragon Boat Upstate Festival. The family expected to reach their goal by the end of 2012, but in late 2011 they received an unexpected surprise.

A generous couple, Debbie and Rick Cunningham, heard about the great work being done at the GHS Cancer Center and its Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR) and quickly took interest in the tissue bank. They decided to make a $50,000 gift to put the family over the top.

Two weeks ago I was fortunate to attend a celebration luncheon where the Winn and Cunningham families met for the first time. I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a room so full of gratitude and joy. For one afternoon two families, both deeply affected by cancer, became one. Their generous gift of time, talent, treasure and love, will play a part in transforming cancer care for everyone.

To learn more about the latest news in cancer care or to make your own gift in honor or in memory of a loved one, visit itor-ghs.org.

Here in the office, we’ve been gearing up for one of our biggest fundraising events of the year: Dragon Boat Upstate Festival!

On April 21, over 1,000 paddlers will descend on Portman Marina at Lake Hartwell to race against other teams, to celebrate their fundraising success (this year’s goal is $250,000 for cancer research and rehabilitation) and to honor loved ones who have battled cancer.

We recently asked our participants one question: “Why do you paddle?”

Here’s Carolyn’s story, in her own words:

“Why do I paddle?

I paddle because the year I was in chemo I rowed for the first time. I was weak and scared and alone in my fear. I went to practice and felt the power that comes only with teamwork. The day of the race I thought, ‘Our team of survivors doesn’t stand a chance.’  The goal is to have the honor of having a time good enough to row three times. The first time out we were pretty pitiful. Our oarsman, when we came in, took us to task. He reminded us that we were SURVIVORS! The next race we flew. We beat everyone’s time and met our goal.

Why do I row?

Because Dragon Boat taught me that no matter how weak and hopeless things seem, with teamwork all things are possible. We can all make a difference. You are stronger than you think. Working together we can find an early detection test that will make ovarian cancer deaths a thing of the past.

Why do I paddle?

Because I lost my beloved mother-in- law in 2005 to undiagnosed ovarian cancer, and in 2006 I was diagnosed.

Why do I paddle?

You can’t know the thrill of pulling together and flying across the water until you experience it.

Why do I paddle?

Because I love it!”

Want to hear more Dragon Boat stories? Visit dragonboatupstatesc.org to see videos from paddlers!

A bike + a good cause = an awesome way to give

Let me start this blog post with an acknowledgement: I am not writing this to brag about my husband.

Well, okay, maybe a little bit.

My husband – after two years of watching me dive into the philanthropy world and graciously volunteering at several events – has officially caught the fundraising bug.

And it’s perfectly up his alley.

Tolar, an avid cyclist, has signed up for the Palmetto Peloton Project Stars & Stripes Challenge, which raises funds for local cancer research through the GHS Cancer Center and the Institute for Translational Oncology Research (ITOR). His fundraising goal for the May 28 race? $500.

I’m so proud of him! And, no, I didn’t arm wrestle him into fundraising – he jumped in all by himself.

So, while this post isn’t about bragging, it is about this: finding an opportunity to give back through your passion.

For Tolar, it was easy: take his passion for cycling and use it to do some good. For me, it’s fun: taking my love of storytelling and using it to keep donors and supporters connected with GHS.

What about you? How can you use your passion to give back in our community? Here are a few fun upcoming ideas, just to get you started:

• Love pancakes? Visit any Greenville-area IHOP on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (which benefits GHS Children’s Hospital locally) – you’ll get a free stack of pancakes!
• Love to shop? Purchase any of the $5 Kohl’s Cares Series books, toys and cookbooks, and 100% of your purchase benefits pediatric patients and families at GHS Children’s Hospital!
• Love to build? GHS is building a home for Habitat for Humanity, and we need your help to make it a reality!

If you try any of the above ideas, be sure to let us know about your experience in the comments below!

Gratitude is contagious. I’ve seen it firsthand.

Take Tiffiney Addis, for example. Her family’s life changed in July 2009, when her daughter, Sadie Mae, was born prematurely. Little Sadie, weighing in at about a pound and a half, spent the first few months of her life in the Bryan Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s Hospital of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center (GHS).

Every day, Tiffiney and her husband, Scott, walked past the NICU’s Wall of Hope, a longtime fixture featuring past NICU patients who grew up to lead active lives. Tiffiney told me later that she had the same thought each time she poured over the portraits:

“Okay, if they can make it, maybe we can make it. Maybe we’ll be okay.”

After Sadie came home from the hospital, Tiffiney wasn’t quite done with the NICU yet. This time, though, Tiffiney wanted to support the NICU staff and families like hers. That’s when the Rescued by Love photo contest was born and when the first seed of gratitude was planted.

Tiffiney took her outstanding talents – she’s the owner of Tiffiney Photography in Westminster – and used them to help the NICU.  She snapped children’s portraits, posted them on her website, Tiffineyphotography.com, and asked folks to “vote” for their favorite by providing a donation to the Bryan NICU. She shared her family’s story, spread her passion for giving back and explained just how much these gifts would mean. In 2011, donors raised over $8,000 for patients and families. The contest was such a great success, Tiffiney began planning to repeat it in 2012

And that’s when the story gets even more awesome.

When Dania and I met with NICU staff to talk about the 2012 Rescued by Love contest and their biggest needs, they told us about one of their dreams: Updating the Wall of Hope by having new portraits made and extending those into new areas of the NICU. And just where would we find a photographer with intimate knowledge of the NICU who would also be willing to donate time and talent for this new project?

Tiffiney, a NICU mom, has spent the past couple of weeks getting in touch with NICU families, sharing stories, and photographing a whole new wave of NICU patients to add to the Wall of Hope, the same wall that lifted her spirits and gave her strength when she needed it most.

You can help bring hope to the halls of the NICU in two simple ways – you can support the 2012 Rescued by Love photo contest by voting for your favorite portrait March 1-10, or you can give now to the Bryan NICU. Click here to make a difference!