CJ’s Smile is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2022 to support families dealing with childhood cancer by providing gifts with the hope of bringing a smile to the faces of children battling cancer. It was created to keep the memory of CJ Delfosse alive. The 10-year-old Menifee resident valiantly fought a rare childhood cancer for two years before succumbing to the disease on Jan. 30, 2022.
Chris and Stephanie Delfosse, CJ’s parents and co-founders of CJ’s Smile, said, “There is so much hurt in our hearts knowing that we will never get to see our son grow up, never get to see him play soccer again, never get to see him become the police officer he always wanted to be. With all this hurt we feel in our hearts, it feels good to carry on his legacy as the kid who always made others smile through our CJ’s Smile foundation.”
The Delfosses said CJ received a lot of gifts when he was at Rady Children’s Hospital and that helped him. Being able to provide that same joy to other children continues to be a goal of the nonprofit. Since its inception, it has expanded its outreach and this year members were able to “Adopt a Family” for the holidays for the first time.
“Our board came together to review the applications, and it was incredibly difficult to choose just one family to support,” said Ellen Sasto, CJ’s grandmother and vice president. “Ultimately, we decided that with the funds we had raised, we could assist two families in need. The first is Maverick, an 8-year-old boy from Menifee who is courageously fighting lymphoma. The second is 1-year-old Jacob, who is battling rhabdomyosarcoma, the same cancer CJ had. Our hearts go out to these families facing such challenging journeys.”
Additionally, all the families who were nominated or who reached out to the organization about this event will be receiving a Blessing Envelope with an Amazon gift card.
“We plan to provide a Christmas wish list not just for the children we mentioned, but for their immediate families as well, including parents and siblings,” board member Lauren Larkin said. “Our goal is to make this holiday season brighter for the entire family, spreading love and support to everyone facing these challenges.”
She said this is the first year the nonprofit is providing more substantial gifts for the entire immediate family of two families for Christmas. Plans are to continue this tradition in the future.
For those wishing to help the nonprofit support others, on Dec. 7 from 1:30 to 3:30, CJ’s Smile is hosting a blanket drive at Michelle’s Place Cancer Resource Center, 41669 Winchester Road, #101 in Temecula. The second annual Santa Cares with CJ’s Smile will have light refreshments and treats available. For a photo with Santa, please bring an unwrapped new blanket for children battling cancer during the holiday season. All the blankets will be taken to the Emilio Nares Foundation at their annual Holiday event in Mission Bay.
“In the spring, we’re excited to continue our partnership with Murrieta Dollars for Scholars for the second year, helping to give back to our community and support local teens,” board member Robin Curby said. “We will also be holding our third annual CJ’s Soccer Classic, which will now be a tournament weekend, scheduled for May 17-18, 2025, in Murrieta. Additionally, we’re thrilled to announce that MYSL (Murrieta Youth Soccer League) has officially added the CJ’s Smile Soccer Classic to their schedule, marking a significant milestone for our event. We’re deeply grateful for their support.”
The organization continues to make trips to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego to deliver Blessing Envelopes. This year, they have donated $1,000 due to their willingness to support any child facing cancer, no matter the region.
“The growth of CJ’s Smile over the past two years can be attributed to the unwavering dedication of our Board of Directors, all of whom share a deep love for CJ,” Rod Amstutz, CJ’s fifth-grade teacher and board CFO said. “Thanks to their efforts, we’ve been able to reach over 200 children with Blessing Envelopes. Our growth has also been fueled by the incredible support from the business communities in the Temecula Valley, who have generously donated gift cards, raffle prizes, and their time, all while helping to keep CJ’s memory and legacy alive.”
Seven family members are involved with the nonprofit, serving on the Board of Directors as CEO, President, Vice President, Secretary, Social Media Coordinator, Events Coordinator, and Merchandise Coordinator. Additional members of the board are close friends of CJ’s family.
Stephanie Delfosse said, “There have been so many meaningful developments in the past two years that she finds it difficult to single out which one was most significant. The City of Menifee recognized Childhood Cancer Month, MYSL teaming with CJ’s Smile, and the Menifee Police Department recognizing CJ as an honorary police officer as a token of their support and love are just a few that have taken place.”
Board secretary and CJ’s aunt, Cheryl Kitzerow said, “All of our funding is raised through the generosity of our family, friends, business community and acquaintances, as well as through the sale of merchandise and our various fundraising events we host throughout the year.”
For more information, www.cjssmile.org, on Instagram at cjs_smile, and Facebook at CJ’s Smile.
