Community of Healing
To Support Kids & Their Families
Who We Serve
Candlelighters provides support for families in Oregon and SW Washington impacted by childhood cancer every step of the way. From diagnosis through treatment and beyond, we provide programs such as emergency financial assistance, an annual family camp, family activities, bereavement support, and a hospital meal program that offers comfort and support for families during a difficult journey. Through it all, we never charge families a dime – ever!
Hear from some of the families we serve on why they appreciate Candlelighters:
Thank you to Sally Showman of Heartprint Productions for this amazing video celebrating Candlelighters For Children With Cancer!
How One Parent’s Grief Fueled a Mission:
The Story of Ride For a Child
- RFAC founder, Dick Hartung
Our daughter Jill passed away in 1997 at the age of 9 after a 3 ½ -year battle with Osteogenic Sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. By 2002, I had recovered enough to again lend my support to the organization that had comforted our family on our journey, Candlelighters For Children With Cancer.
Serving on the board of Candlelighters as the VP of Development, I was tasked with the challenge of raising funds for a small, grass-roots organization rich in compassion, purpose, mission, and dedicated volunteers, but like most small non-profits, definitely poor in funding.
The last time I had ridden a bike with any regularity was grade school! However, a number of my friends had ridden in an event called Cycle Oregon (CO), an adventurous one week ride around the state of Oregon, filled with the beauty of Oregon and the challenge of a 500-mile week on a bike. Could I do something like that? I thought maybe I could, but not without the kindness, courage, and inspiration I would need from the example of Jill's life. So, in June of 2002, I purchased my CO registration for the September ride, pumped up the air on the tires of my 10 year-old mountain bike, and started to train..