How it all began
In 2001, along with other members of the Spartanburg Optimist International Club, Tom Russell responded to that organization’s nationwide commitment to fund childhood cancer research, asking, “What can we do to help locally?” Quickly, they discovered how very few places treat childhood cancer and what a struggle it is for families to get their children to pediatric oncology care. South Carolina has only three treatment locations; North Carolina only seven.
New Name: Same Mission
As the Children's Security Blanket's mission grew and expanded, our board recognized the organization faced an identity issue. Not even well-known in the only county it served, the name 'Children's Security Blanket' did not clearly communicate the agency's much larger audience and mission. Thus, in 2017, volunteer and staff leaders initiated a rebranding process, which resulted in the selection of the name Children's Cancer Partners of the Carolinas (CCP) and the tagline "Supporting Families Through the Journey."
How We've Grown
It all began with the story of a beautiful young girl. Her name was Rachel: a good student, promising athlete, and oh-so-popular for her characteristic smile. Cancer showed up, but so did Rachel's courage as she battled back. Osteosarcoma claimed her leg, but not her spirit, and as traces appeared elsewhere, Children's Cancer Partners, or 'Children's Security Blanket' at that time, helped her get to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a second opinion. Meanwhile, Rachel smiled on, brightening the day for those who thought they had come to cheer her up!
Our CCP Timeline
