We became Crescent Cove last year, August, 2014 after being Children’s Lighthouse of Minnesota for nearly five years. Any time a major change is upon us, it can feel daunting, overwhelming and scary. Because we know that families face life changes that are much more excruciating than a name change, we faced the decision as a team and moved forward. The process of changing our name gave us many opportunities to define who we are as an organization and our immediate and long-term goals, all which are carried forward with our name and brand.

Why our name changed:

• When we selected the name Children’s Lighthouse in 2009, we were aware of a child care center in Texas that was trademarked. We added the words “of Minnesota” to distinguish ourselves.
• The Texas for-profit business contacted our organization to say they would like to expand into Minnesota and plan to own and operate more than a dozen locations.
• In order to reduce confusion between the two organizations and our missions, our board of directors and legal counsel determined it is in our best interest to take this opportunity to change our name.

After determining that we would change our name and brand, we invited the support of a local branding agency who led families and our board and committee members through insightful discussions. Through these discussions it was determined that the name we chose would capture and represent ‘a place to feel normal’, ‘a celebration of life’, ‘quality care’ and ‘a place that is family focused’ and that our brand would be ‘meaningful’, ‘differentiated’, ‘believable’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘consistent with who we are as an organization’.

It was important for our new name to capture ‘a place to feel normal’ as we will be and have a one-of-a-kind children’s residential hospice and respite home in Minnesota that recognizes the importance of families and children being able to feel ‘normal’ during life-limiting and end-of-life experiences. Because our home will be, and the services we now provide create, a sacred space where families and children can celebrate life and feel safe while receiving quality palliative, hospice and respite care, the name needed to capture the sacredness of life. We want our home to feel like a home – a place where families can experience the joy of being and feeling at home in the midst of their life.

After many discussions and ideas about renaming and rebranding Children’s Lighthouse of MN, Crescent Cove, a place of respite for kids and families was chosen.

We wanted a name that would ultimately embrace children, teens, young adults, and families. The input from families was most important to our team as it is essential that they feel comfortable and confident in the care and support they receive from Crescent Cove. The meaning of Crescent Cove came from the families who recognized that the crescent moon is in transition; a metaphor of life. The moon itself is always present even when we don’t see it; it revolves around us and represents this community and our team being there for families and the shape represents an embrace. One dad told us that he and his daughter would talk about the crescent-shaped moon as the ‘finger nail of ‘God’ and another said that during late nights while awake in pain, they would look together at the moon and remember the bigger picture of life. A cove, which we felt could also link us back to Children’s Lighthouse of MN, represents somewhere to find shelter or rest during difficult times, a place of refuge and support.

Choosing the colors that would support our new name, Crescent Cove was another exercise in capturing who we are, who we have become and who we will be into the future as an organization. The blue and turquoise and design of our logo capture the warmth, peace and awe that children see the world to be and that we can bring to families.

As with any major change that is embraced, there is an undefined moment when we are the change. This has happened for us now as Crescent Cove. While we continue to periodically refer to ourselves as Crescent Cove, formerly Children’s Lighthouse of MN and realize so many are still embracing our new name and brand, we are Crescent Cove.