Pediatric Brain Tumor Network

This week, the Copymat Hollywood spotlight turns to our long time client and good friend, Colleen Gates, with the we can Pediatric Brain Tumor Network.

We Can is an inspiring and uplifting organization that has created a resource community for families with children who have been diagnosed with brain tumors. It is We Can’s mission to “nurture and empower one another to face treatment, recovery, survival, and end-of-life issues or bereavement.”

Family Services include:

•Parent-to-Parent Mentoring •Family Camps •Hospital and Clinic Visits •KidShops for Patients and their Siblings •Adult Group Activities

•Parent Education •Support Meetings

“A family’s emotional lifeline when a child is diagnosed”

We Can’s Development Director, Colleen Gates, began her relationship with We Can in 2007 as a terrified mother who’s 10 month old son was just diagnosed with Ependymoma, a rare type of brain tumor. It was during a hospital visit where We Can Co-Founder Kathy Riley welcomed Colleens family, and introduced all the free resources We Can has to offer.

Colleen chose to join the We Can family as Development Director to give back the support and guidance she received, and with this employment transition, came her longtime printer and designer friend Bob Gerholdt of Copymat Hollywood.

Colleen first began coming to Copymat Hollywood for printing and design work many years ago while she worked in the creative services department of a large catalogue retail company, so introducing Bob to the new material for We Can was an easy transition. Colleen recalls many times where deadlines were almost unimaginable with meticulous attention to detail needed, and how Collaboration was always available when needed to get the job done on time.

“Copymat Hollywood has always been extremely reliable and supportive with every project.. Even when deadlines were strict ”

“With Bob, it’s a creative collaboration. 

He really works with you, and understands the vision”

Sitting in a corner coffee shop, Colleen reflects on her long standing professional friendship with Bob at Copymat Hollywood. “It didn’t matter what the job was or how difficult it was ” Colleen confided “from signage, to flyers to promotional material: I never had to worry“. There’s a confidence in her voice when Colleen discusses 

introducing Copymat Services to her husband; a musician and composer who needed his music printed, and was so happy with his results he trusted Bob with printing a Music Theory classroom textbook for the school where he teaches. When Bob provided printing for the We Can Annual appeal program, and was more than happy to donate his time to sponsor the printing and invitations for this year’s annual benefit auction, it came as no surprise to her.

We Can is looking forward to more events in the coming months. Their annual cocktail party fundraiser ‘Evening With Friends’ is set to take place in March 2016, and in May, the annual ‘Walk for We Can’ at Balboa Park takes place, where families and friends within this community gather to walk in support of every child affected by this terrible disease, and to symbolize the long road each family travels every day for love and joy.

To learn more, please visit http://wecan.cc