Children's Cancer Association | JoyRx

At JoyRx / Children's Cancer Association (CCA), our mission is to deliver Joy-centric programs that create immediate and measurable improvement to the mental and emotional wellness of young patients. <br><br>We know it takes more than medicine to treat cancer and serious illness. When a child is facing life's most challenging moments, they also need emotional healing.<br><br><br>For 30 years, CCA has delivered programs to help young patients find their Joy. JoyRx Music, Mentorship, and Nature programs reduce the loneliness, stress, and perception of pain for young patients-transforming their pediatric healthcare experience-and are offered at no-cost to families and hospital partners.<br><br><br>Simply put: Joy makes sick kids feel better. <br>

Our vision is for a human-centered healthcare environment where JoyRx is a standard of care across the nation. By 2025, CCA aspires to deliver free access to JoyRx for more than 50,000 hospitalized young people by expanding the national presence of our flagship program, JoyRx Music. We are overjoyed that a program designed, tested, and developed in Portland, Oregon is sought after by leading pediatric health care facilities across the country, and CCA leadership is working with regional hospitals and community champions to seize this momentum. As the national leader in Joy-based programming, we strive to become the preeminent provider of customized bedside music medicine, transforming the healthcare experience for young people in the United States.

CCA is committed to ongoing learning and development of all staff. Each of our executive team members has a designated board mentor with expertise in leadership. The executives and their mentors meet monthly with specific development goals tied to their annual reviews and Hogan assessments. CCA leaders (directors and executive team) participate in the Intercultural Development Inventory assessment and roadmap process in partnership with Carissa Rudolf, certified IDI trainer at Nike. All staff, including leaders, will participate in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Training through Paradigm.

CCA has relied on community mobilization for 30 years to drive its mission delivery. We work hand-in-hand with healthcare partners and alongside community organizations to collectively create a network of support for seriously ill children and their families. We are informed by specialist networks ranging from mentoring to music therapists and share our voice with national coalitions like the National Organization for the Arts in Health. We train over 3,000 volunteers per year. And finally, our staff relay the impact of JoyRx by listening to and capturing family and hospital stories, which are shared via our social media channels and in or various publications.

CCA adapted to external changes in the past year thanks to a strong history of dedicated leadership and fiscal excellence, and a team committed to delivering its mission safely and consistently throughout a time of increased social isolation, fear, and anxiety for the families we serve.