By: Lindsey Gross

NNCCF Staff members visiting Victory Woodworks

After two weeks of plastic tarps blocking doorways, hammering sounds, the smell of saw dust and fresh paint, the renovations in our office are complete. NNCCF’s 3,000sqft building is now equipped with four additional office spaces with sliding barn doors, a volunteer workspace, updated electrical wiring and server cabinet. Due to the expansion of our programs, we had a significant need for additional offices to accommodate the growing staff. In the last year, NNCCF hired four members to the team to assist with programs and services, administrative work and fundraising.

The total cost of the renovations would have exceeded $20,000, however due to support and in-kind donations from community members and businesses, NNCCF completed construction under a $2,000 budget. We are grateful for these talented individuals that donated their time and resources to us. Our office would not be able to house our expanding team without their help. The list of supporters and companies that made NNCCF’s aspirations possible far exceeds the space available in this article. From keeping the floors and air ducts sanitary to updating the light fixtures and toilets, stocking our toy cabinet to keeping our fire extinguishers up to date, our community stepped in to keep our foundation in full swing while affording us no overhead costs.

Special thank you’s are due to the companies that made the recent construction possible:

Action Electric – Thank you for updating our electrical wiring. Through the years we created unique ways of making our office spaces work, and now we are set up for success.

Pacific Communications – Thank you for making our company available for growth in the world of electronics as our server now has the capacity for adding more computers.

Victory Woodworks – Thank you for the build-out of new offices. You’ve transformed the landscape in our back room into something amazing and the barn doors are truly stunning.

The Keaton Raphael Memorial, formed in Roseville in 1998, branched out to northern Nevada in 2004 and eventually merged with the local Angel Kiss Foundation in 2009 forming the Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation. NNCCF experienced the ebb and flow of growth since its formation, and came a long way from starting in a home office shared by two people. As expansion started, Panattoni Development provided office space at no cost to NNCCF, then Nevada State Bank donated a 1,000sqft foreclosure in 2010. The foundation continued to grow and in 2013 the William N. Pennington Foundation awarded NNCCF a capital grant which provided the support necessary to purchase our current facility.

Not only is the NNCCF team fortunate to have an accommodating office space, but our patients and families benefit as well. The office puts the stigma of nonprofits having old cubicles and flickering fluorescent lights to rest. When walking into the front doors, the office is bright, clean and as equally inviting as the staff. The many offices provide our families privacy, as well as a place to unload, relax and play. The giant toy closet in the back is a beacon of light for every child that walks through our doors.

80 cents of every donated dollar supports programs and services. The community partners that help renovate our facility, influence this ratio and provide us the opportunity to expand for the growing need of support. As NNCCF matures and incorporates more programs to assist local children in the fight against cancer, we will again be grateful for community partners to step forward and donate their craft.