Candlelighters For Children With Cancer is a non-profit organization established in Oregon in 1977. Our mission to the community and to the families affected by childhood cancer covers four essential areas: support, education, advocacy & hope. With the shocking statistic of about 200 children diagnosed in our communities each year with cancer and with treatments lasting on average one to three years, our programs, services and activities provide support to well over a thousand families in Oregon and SW Washington each year.
Supporting Those In Need – Candlelighters provides frontline assistance to families of cancer patients, ages 0-21, as they battle the emotional stresses of their experiences. The connections made with other members who have been through it all and know how to help is tremendously supportive. Meetings, personal assistance and activities for families provide the outlets needed to share the fear and frustrations caused by childhood cancer.
Education For Informed Choices – Quarterly meetings and educational forums, including speakers from the medical field, keep members up to date on the research programs, medical information and pediatric care. This helps our families better understand the treatment choices for their children as well as the difficulties associated with side effects and survivorship.
Advocacy For Today And For The Future – Candlelighters For Children With Cancer supports families whose children have or have had cancer. We work through all the stages: discovery, diagnosis, treatment and remission, and can also help with other issues, such as those that arise when a child dies. Our motto is, “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”
Candlelighters is not affiliated with any religious organization. Candlelighters For Children With Cancer is a federal non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that relies solely on our community for financial contributions and support. We write grants, seek individual donations, and hold fundraisers to assure the continued success of the programs we offer. Our organization receives no State or Federal funding, nor do we receive assistance from the national American Childhood Cancer Organization.