Giving Back

Your purchase helps support a Little Hero

Bringing joy to kids with cancer

At Urns Northwest (and our sister site, Northwest Gifts), we love to give back. One organization we love, Gamerosity, gives special care packages to bring a little joy to kids with cancer during their treatment period. This is a unique non-profit organization which fills a special niche in caring for child cancer patients by doing something that we love: giving gifts.

Here's a brief video about what they do:


What is Gamerosity?

Gamerosity is a non-profit support platform which raises support to send a child cancer patient a care package which will ease the drudgery of long, boring hours of chemotherapy and seemingly endless hospital stays.

Each Little Hero receives a care package consisting of:

  • iPad mini
  • $100 iTunes gift card
  • Hand made stuffed animal
  • Hats, tshirts, and other goodies

Once a Little Hero is nominated, their care package is paid for through crowdfunded support. Friends, family members, and anyone else can either donate directly or purchase tshirts, hats, hoodies, and more, with everything above the actual cost of the item going towards the specific Little Hero's campaign.


Why we support Gamerosity

  • Like us, they're Northwest (right here in Medford Oregon)
  • Like us, they're a small organization committed to excellence
  • We know several of the volunteers and staff members personally, and can attest to their compassion and generosity
  • They are in the thick of the fight against cancer
  • They care for "the least of these" (Matthew 25:40)
  • They are a non-profit, and 100% of our donation will go directly to a child cancer patient's care package


How we are involved

We're a small business, and we partner with other small US-based businesses to provide you with premium and personalized memorial urns alongside our signature helpful and compassionate customer service. Every dollar you spend at Urns Northwest goes to support our employees and suppliers here in Oregon, pay our small business manufacturers and partners throughout the US, and, of course, ship the urn to your door.

Since we keep shipping costs down and maintain competitive pricing, our goal is to give back an average of about 1-2% of each order placed on this site and our sister site, Northwest Gifts.

We would also encourage you to check out Gamerosity for yourself, and consider bringing joy to a Little Hero not only indirectly through your shopping here, but also directly through their fun and compassionate platform.


Why iPads?

The centerpiece of a Gamerosity care package is an iPad mini tablet. Why iPads? Why not raise support for helping pay the hospital bills, or furthering research for a cure?

From Gamerosity founder Manny Munoz:

Ah yes, why don't we help fund cancer research? Well, we do and we don't. Practically, that's not our role in the childhood cancer community. There are many organizations (FANTASTIC ONES) that focus on curing cancer and taking care of bills. AND WE SUPPORT THEM both practically and financially.

Our role, however, is to come alongside the child. We KNOW the child's perspective because Manny was in the same bed they were in. In fact, let's let him speak:

Should people fund St. Baldricks, and St. Judes? YES! I'm very proud to make contributions to those organizations personally. But my experience as a childhood cancer patient had little to do with insurance bills or whether or not cancer as a whole was being funded for research. I was in a bed, nausious, exhausted, halfway numb, and bald. I couldn't go to school and be with my friends, and I couldn't leave my house for fear of infection. I had a Gameboy Color, and it helped me get through some of the worst days of my life.

Let that sink in for a second.

A simple Gameboy. Now fast forward 13 years. Gameboys are fossils now (yikes!). An iPad can revolutionize the treatment experience. They can play games (heck, they even have a Tetris app!), watch movies, use Netflix, play games, and even do their homework. With an iPad, we're tapping into an experience that most of these kids are MISSING out on as they're receiving treatment.

Can you imagine the change we can make in the treatment experience if nurses don't have to worry about smiles or frowns and can focus on treatment? This is what we're about. A positive mental and emotional outlook pays dividends for treatment. There's something to be said about being able to put a smile on the face of a child who is, for lack of a better term, being ROBBED of their childhood. That's what we're about.

If that's not enough for you to get on board, how about the simple fact that the Little Hero would LOVE one, and your simple purchase is a piece of their puzzle!


I'm not buying an urn, but I'd still like to support this cause... how can I do that?

We'd recommend heading over to Gamerosity and either 1) donating directly to a child's campaign, or 2) purchasing one of their shirts, hats, etc., the profits from which will support a child's campaign.

A third option, if you're looking for a unique personalized Christmas, Father's Day, or birthday gift idea, is to check out our sister site Northwest Gifts, where you'll find thousands of customizable gift items to fit just about any gift-giving occasion. Just like any order placed here, a portion of every purchase made at Northwest Gifts will go to support a child cancer patient's Gamerosity care package.