Dmitri: On July 28, The Executive Board and District Project Director Danielle Bae had the opportunity to visit Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and accompany some officers from PNW Kiwanis on a tour. The tour was an incredibly eye-opening experience for all in attendance, as they were given a view of the personal stories involved with KCCP and saw firsthand the impact of the funds we raise. Meeting the fellows that our money is going to face-to-face was enlightening and reassuring, as it proved further the ability of the Kiwanis Children’s Cancer Program to house some of the most intelligent, passionate, and driven researchers the world has seen. The money raised for this program goes towards funding fellows, who are part of a three-year research program at the hospital. After this, they move on to positions either in the same hospital that they were a fellow at, or at other hospitals across the country. In fact, according to the US News and World Report ranking in Pediatric Oncology, Seattle Children’s is 11th in the nation, and Doernbecher Children’s is ranked 47th. Having two of the most high-caliber hospitals in the nation working directly with us means that the impact of our funds reaches far beyond the Pacific Northwest. The fellows trained within these hospitals are the researchers of the future that will be breaking down the final barriers to a cure for children’s cancer across the nation. Join the fight, and let’s end childhood cancer. Brian: On July 28th, 2017, the executive team and I had to opportunity to visit and tour Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon. During the tour, we got to learn more about the Kiwanis Children’s Cancer Program (KCCP) and how it benefits the fellows working in these hospitals. During the visit, we visited a part of the hospital that a playroom for the patients. The doctors, nurses, and volunteers at Doernbecher work their hardest to ensure that the patients feel as comfortable as possible during their time at the hospital. The lady that was giving us the tour mentioned that each patient had a nutritionist around them to make sure that they are eating properly. This small, but significant fact stuck out to me personally because I’m really into understanding about how the foods that we eat affect our body and how we can use food to modify our body and make it healthier. After the visit, I began researching nutrition science and gained a profound interest in the profession. At Doernbecher, not only did I learn more about the patients and the hospital and why we donate to KCCP, I learned a little more about myself as well. Following that part of our visit we saw what a patient’s hospital room was like. Doernbecher even has a dog that visits the patients. I was the only one in our tour group that got to see the dog before it left, so I’m pretty happy about that. Overall the hospital visit was really eye-opening. Seeing the patients and the fellows helped me understand a lot more about our District Project and why we’re fundraising for it. Our goal of $75,000 is easily within reach, so I believe our district will make it there by DCON 2018. To learn more about KCCP, visit www.https://pnwkeyclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Secretary-of-the-Month-Rory-Clark-700×441-1.jpg.org/kccp.