In February 2009 Patti Luttrell received the Spotlight Award for Organizational Planner of the Year. The award ceremony was held at the Event Solutions Conference & Trade Show in Las Vegas. Organizational Planner of the Year is awarded to an "individual non-profit, association, government or university planner who adeptly utilizes events to accomplish his or her organization's goals with creativity and impact."

After nominations were received, Children's Cancer Network was among six finalists selected in their category by a panel of their peers. Three CCN events were highlighted: the Fashion Show, Auction and Luncheon, the Survivorship Conference, and the Holiday Surprises Adopt-A-Family program and wrapping. A wide range of judging criteria included appropriate event utilization, message delivery, creativity, and innovation. Voting was then conducted online by the event community to determine which of the finalists would receive this coveted Spotlight Award statue.

Members of the Children's Cancer Network Board traveled to Las Vegas to attend the amazing Event Solutions Conference & Trade Show. With more than 5000 attendees and 800 exhibits, this event provided opportunities to network, plan, and utilize tools for their upcoming events. Most importantly, they were able to see just how much their hard work was appreciated. While Children's Cancer Network may be smaller and younger by some standards, it seems we are now running with the big boys!