GO TEAM SHINING STARS!

Is this the new fad in sports recruiting? General managers from across the country have been signing children as young as 5 years old to jump on board both professional and collegiate squads. Rather, these teams are offering honorary positions to childhood cancer patients whose passion for the game- be it soccer, basketball or golf- has helped them conquer some unimaginable challenges!

Recently, national news focused a story on 5-year old “free agent guard” J.P. Gibson, who is currently battling ALL- or acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J.P. got to toss the rock around with some of his favorite professional players after an elaborate signing ceremony. This small gesture meant the world to J.P. and his family- showing J.P. all that is possible in life. Check out the video below- adorable!

Three of our Shining Stars are also honored athletes at Denver’s Regis University, signing contracts through a program called Team IMPACT. Not only will Stars Jamie, Miles and Alex attend practices with the Rangers- Jamie with the Women’s Soccer team, Miles with the Men's Baseball team and Alex with the Men’s Golf squad, but will be invited to all organized events, community service projects, home games, ice cream parties- pretty much wherever the team goes!

Photo courtesy of CBS 4 Denver.

Photo Courtesy of RU Golf website

Team IMPACT strives to improve quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. Similarly, Shining Stars strives to allow these children to see their future in a brighter light. We seek to improve quality of life by showing these children all that they are capable of and all the amazing things the future can hold, while supporting them in the present and giving them new opportunities to truly live out each day to the fullest.

Another parallel between Team IMPACT and Shining Stars is the teamwork driven approach to life. At the Aspen Winter Games, we bring kids of all ages together who are facing or have faced similar challenges. Throughout the week these kids form extremely strong bonds with one another. These relationships are reinforced each year at the Grand County Family Adventure, where not only the child but their entire family is able to come together with other families and support one another through some of the darkest times of their lives. This support network extends from peer to peer, sibling to sibling and parent to parent. Having that huge Shining Stars team to rely on throughout the cancer journey provides hope and comfort to each member of our amazing families. 

I can tell you one thing- Team Shining Stars is about as tough a team as you’ll encounter in this game we call life!

★ Intergalactic Miracles ★

This past Saturday, September 20th, the 7th annual Miracle Party for Childhood Cancer was held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock. The evening is meant to give pediatric cancer patients and their families a night off from the hospital and the worries of daily life to let loose and have some fun! This year, the theme of the evening was Space! The Infinite Frontier. Shining Stars once again sponsored the event and set up our booth to spread the word about  programs available to pediatric cancer patients and their families. Staff members Cookie Ready and Rosemary White represented the Foundation in style- can you guess their costumes? 

Anakin Skywalker and Queen Amidala!

The Miracle Party featured musical guests Beyond 5 and Lexi Walker, delicious BBQ from Famous Dave's and so much more. We were so excited to see so many of our Shining Stars Families taking the night off to enjoy the party and each other. It was also exciting to meet new families and children to join us this year at Winter Games! Thank you to the Miracle Party Foundation for making this magical night possible. 

Harvesting Goodness!

We had a wonderful day at the Miller Farms Fall Festival on Sunday enjoying the sunshine, catching up with old friends, and picking yummy vegetables! This year we had a record breaking year of over 75 attendees for the day! Our families got to explore the numerous fields, learn how the different veggies grow, bounce on the giant jumping balloon, race around the track in pedal cars, and slide down the giant dirt hill. After playing around on the farm, the group sat down to a satisfying lunch of brats and hotdogs provided by Miller Farms and potluck side dishes.

Shining Star Alex and his Mom seeking out the best corn on the farm!

Miller Farms is one of our families' favorite events each year and provides them the opportunity to have a kitchen full of nutritious food and create delicious gifts for all the people that have supported them throughout their journey of having a seriously, chronically ill child. We are very grateful to the Miller Farms staff that continues to support us year after year with our rapidly growing numbers!

“I can’t wait to make salsa with my sister! It’s going to be our first time to do it all by ourselves!”

— Shining Star Preston K.

Fall is Falling!

Fall is a magnificent time in the High Rockies region of Colorado where we are based. The trees light up into yellow, red and orange while the air gets a little brisk and we are reminded that winter is on it's way.

At Shining Stars, Fall is a time we can reflect on the Summer behind us and plan for the Winter season ahead. This has been a busy and productive Summer for us here at the Foundation.

We put on three large fundraisers with the help of our growing and dedicated volunteer force. Board Member Marty Roberts and Staff Member Heather Bratton, along with our fabulous Golf Committee, put on a SOLD OUT tournament at a brand new course this year at the 10th Annual Tee Off For Kids With Cancer Tournament.

A brand new event was held in June at the Aspen home of Dr. Patricia Hill, Glitz in the Garden. The afternoon featured live music, wine tastings, boutique shopping and delicious bites from local Aspen restaurants. It was a fun and glamorous outing that got us so excited to start planning next summer's Wine, Women, and Shoes fundraiser, which will be held for over 250 people at the base of Aspen Mountain!

Another one of our summer fundraisers is the Winter Park Half Marathon, from which all proceeds are donated to the foundation. Race director and Shining Stars volunteer Nicolena Johnson did an amazing job putting the race together this year and we are so excited to watch this event grow!

The money raised at these events allowed us to fill the summer with fun for our Shining Stars families! Events included a day at the Denver Zoo, Van's Equipment Day, Monster Truck Rally at the Colorado National Speedway, a Lucky Strike bowling event, "The Fault in Our Stars" movie screening, Rockies baseball games, and much more!

Our two summer programs- the Grand County Family Adventure and the Aspen Summer Adventure- were absolutely magical experiences, where we witnessed friends new and old support each other and make new memories.

All of these opportunities have allowed our families to strengthen bonds and create new friendships with others who know the challenges and the struggles of having a child with a life threatening illness. We feel honored and lucky to be able to provide these memory-making,  life-changing experiences to brave children who are fighting or have fought cancer or another life threatening illness, as well as the deserving families who support them.

We truly love what we do and are grateful each day for our supportive communities and inspiring families! We are looking forward to an equally magical Winter season- planning has already begun for Winter Games 2015 and we can't wait to meet all of our new kids.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

New and Improved Website

Happy Monday!

As you may have noticed, we have begun the process of creating a new and improved website to help us reach our community in a clear and effective way. This new page will feature a family resource section, regularly updated blog, activities calendar and much more! If you have any ideas about what you'd like the site to include please let us know!

Last week was one of our favorite times throughout the year- the 2014 Grand County Family Adventure! We welcomed about 250 people to Grand County for a week of fun, sun and relaxation. The group consisted of 54 Shining Stars Families, who came from far and wide to spend some time together up in the Rockies. The families enjoyed outdoor adventures like a day in Grand Lake, a day at Winter Park Resort, Rafting with MAD Adventures, Horseback Riding at Sombrero Stables, fishing at Rendezvous Pond and much, much more!

Throughout the week, the families were able to network and communicate with one another about their experiences with childhood cancer. We had some families with freshly diagnosed children and while some has been in remission for 5+ years. Seeing how these families supported and shared with each other was the most magical part of the entire week! 

We ALREADY can't wait until next year!

In other news: Megan Bryant, Director of Development, was invited to a luncheon in Granby to accept a grant from the Union Pacific Foundation last week. The affair was held on one of U.P.'s restored train liners and Megan got to mingle with the Union Pacific management. See below for a photo! 

( Left to Right) COO Lance Fritz, CEO Jack Koraleski, Shining Stars Director of Development Megan Bryant,  President of the Union Pacific Foundation Bob Turner, and Union Pacific Director of Public Affairs Sara Thompson Cassidy.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Rosemary