February Heroes Art Session
Our February Heroes Art Session was extra special. We kicked off our creative sessions for the 11th Annual Heroes Art Ball. Over the next few months, childhood cancer heroes and their siblings will create beautiful pieces of art. Working side by side with them will be incredibly talented hometown artists. The final pieces will be up for auction at the 11th Annual Heroes Art Ball. You can place the winning bid for this one-of-the-kind art. The Heroes Art Ball is on Friday, May 6, at the The John Marshall Ballrooms downtown Richmond. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, March 1.
Due to COVID restrictions, we kept this Heroes Art Session small. Five hero families, who will be our VIP hero families at the Heroes Art Ball, joined us for this special afternoon. The kids created with clay, watercolors, paint, and even had a chance to use a sewing machine! We can’t wait to introduce you to Ava, Dayanne, Joshua, Kennedy, and Sydney at The Heroes Art Ball on May 6. Thank you to our wonderful Hero Artist Leaders who shared their time and talent with the kids!
Our Heroes Art Sessions provide a supportive environment in which childhood cancer heroes and their siblings can make art, and build community with other hero families. At the sessions, they feel a collective sense of healing simply by creating and being together. We are grateful to The Visual Arts Center of Richmond for giving us the space for an open studio. And to our donors who allow the Heroes Art Sessions to happen at no cost to our families.
Childhood Cancer Heroes: Ava, Dayanne, Joshua, Kennedy, and Sydney
Hero Artist Leaders & Volunteers: Monica Wilmore, Frankie Slaughter, Susan Rash, Nico Cathcart, Jennike Duignam, Sarah Cross
If you are interested in sharing your talents by volunteering as a hero artist leader, fill out our online volunteer application posted on our website: www.connorsheroes.org/ways-to-give/
If you can not volunteer your time, you can support the monthly heroes art sessions and other programs offered to childhood cancer heroes by making a donation online: www.connorsheroes.org/ways-to-give/
You will meet some of the childhood cancer heroes shown here when you come to the gala. They will be our guests of honor at the 11th Annual Heroes Art Ball in May 2022!
A grateful family makes historic gift to Connor’s Heroes
A grateful family makes historic gift to Connor’s Heroes
A Richmond family, grateful for the support Connor’s Heroes gave their teenage daughter throughout her cancer treatment, made a $500,000 commitment to Connor’s Heroes. It is the largest gift in Connor’s Heroes history. The family, who wish to remain anonymous, made this gift as Connor’s Heroes plans for the opening of the new inpatient children’s hospital.
“They made this donation with a simple request: continue to give families hope, guidance, and support” said Celia Tetlow Martin, Executive Director of Connor’s Heroes. “Their generosity will provide our childhood cancer families with new experiences, resources and support options throughout the course of their treatment and beyond. This gift has already transformed how we care for a child with cancer.”
The gift will support the Unique Needs Fund. Connor’s Heroes piloted the program in 2021. The fund will help families with unexpected expenses for extended stays in the hospital or Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit, or traveling outside of Central Virginia for second opinions, clinical trials or treatment.
The relationship the family developed with Erin Gardner, Connor’s Heroes Program Director, influenced their decision to support Connor’s Heroes.
The mother said,
“Erin showed my daughter incredible kindness and empathy. It was clear from the moment we first met, she is dedicated to helping families who are in the worst place. So many people do not know how to be there for a family in crisis. Erin and Connor’s Heroes knew exactly what my family needed.”
Connor’s Heroes also will fund a Child Life Specialist (CLS) at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR). Meredith Burns, MS, CCLS, is a Certified Child Life Specialist with CHoR. At the end of February, she will focus on the pediatric hematology and oncology patients when they are admitted to CHoR. She will help coordinate a family’s care with the Connor’s Heroes Program Team, made up of Erin and Anne-Randolph Carter.
The donation comes as Connor’s Heroes successfully completed its capital campaign, Rooms Filled With Hope. The campaign raised funds for five rooms on the new pediatric hematology and oncology floor of The Wonder Tower at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Part of the gift will go towards designing the rooms as safe spaces for arts projects, consultations with doctors, meals, playful activities, and meeting with Connor’s Heroes Program Team.
For the past three years, the number of families who registered with Connor’s Heroes has increased. Connor’s Heroes increased the amount of financial support a family receives every year of their child’s treatment.
“Connor’s Heroes was named in honor of the circle of heroes who helped Connor Goodwin during his treatment. Thanks to all the people who donated, our community of heroes grew. We are at this historic moment together,” said Celia. “This is a transformational gift. But so is every gift. Every donor can transform the care of a child with cancer.”
Announcing A New Child Life Specialist
Connor’s Heroes Welcomes New Child Life Specialist
When you receive an email from Meredith Burns, MS, CCLS, she closes it with this wonderful quote from Dr. Seuss: “Don’t give up. I believe in you all. A person’s a person no matter how small.”
Meredith understands the anxiety a family feels when their child is diagnosed with a difficult illness. She is a Certified Child Life Specialist (CLS) with Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR). Ask any hero parent, they will tell you how Child Life is an essential member of their child’s care team.
Connor’s Heroes is happy to announce, at the end of February 2022, Meredith will be a part of the Connor’s Heroes team. She will focus on the pediatric hematology and oncology patients when they are admitted to CHoR.
Having a CHoR CLS for pediatric hematology and oncology patients is very much needed. Especially when Connor’s Heroes opens the five Rooms Filled With Hope in The Wonder Tower. The Wonder Tower, a consolidated, state-of-the-art inpatient children’s hospital hopes to open in 2023.
Connor’s Heroes Board Member, Marisa Cherry, is excited to have a CLS for our hero families. Marisa and Steve’s daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2013.
“I spent countless weeks in the hospital with my daughter doing the best I could to explain the unexplainable, keep her spirits positive, and to comfort her through pain. It was terrifying and exhausting,” said Marisa. “Soon, Connor’s Heroes will open five Rooms Filled With Hope in the amazing Wonder Tower. Together the CLS and the Connor’s Heroes Rooms will give our families dedicated, safe spaces beyond the four walls of their rooms. CLS will help parents by talking in kid-friendly terms about procedures, providing necessities at just the right time, offering diversions like art therapy, and celebrating treatment milestones.”
Meredith explains how the team of Child Life Specialist at CHoR help pediatric patients. She talks about how she can ease a child’s fears and decrease a family’s stress when they are in the hospital.
How does a Child Life Specialist (CLS) help a family?
I like to say it is my job to bring the hospital world down to a patient’s level (of understanding). A CLS has a background in child development and a specialty in how that development can be impacted by hospitalization. We help patients and families cope, in a developmentally appropriate way, with their hospital experience. Not every experience is going to be fun, but as a CLS, I hope to make the experience less overwhelming and traumatizing for everyone involved.
A child often is in cancer treatment for years. How will a CLS help a family at diagnosis and throughout treatment?
I try to build my relationship with a patient during the testing process to learn what the exact diagnosis is. It is important to create positive coping techniques that can last through treatment. Upon receiving a diagnosis, I can help the patient better understand their diagnosis. CLS can prepare patients for procedures, use medical play to teach about new support devices they may need (gastrostomy tubes, central lines, ports, etc.), and distract them during painful procedures (IV starts, dressing changes). Also, CLS can assist caregivers on how to explain the diagnosis to siblings and facilitate ways to continue the sibling bond while the patient is in the hospital.
Throughout treatment, CLS can be there to provide emotional support on hard days, as well as provide opportunities for play and fun. I believe patients need to feel like children, even though they are in the hospital.
A crucial role of child life is to assess patients and families where they are at that moment and be respectful of their wish for alone time. Child life can be a friendly face who patients and families see if they need multiple admissions.
Connor’s Heroes mission is to provide hope, guidance, and support to a child with cancer and their family. How will you support Connor’s Heroes mission?
I can be a support system within the hospital to help patients and families navigate their cancer journey. I provide patients with the foundation for understanding their diagnosis and encouraging each patient to advocate for their needs. I want to instill hope in the patient and their family that they have it within themselves to make it through and that they are not alone in this journey.
Outside of the hospital, how do you spend your free time?
I enjoy watching movies, being with family, and going to sporting events. I also love to spend time with my dog Slider and taking him to the park. I really like to travel and learn about history all over the world. Over the summer, I took Slider on walking tours around Richmond through a great program called History Hounds Tours.
Erin Gardner, Program Director, and Anne-Randolph Carter, Program Coordinator, are excited to have Meredith a part of the Connor’s Heroes team.
Almost every week a child in Central Virginia is diagnosed with cancer. Connor’s Heroes gives a family financial assistance and emotional support throughout a child’s cancer journey. Connor’s Heroes starts with a Heroes Bag and Backpack. Inside, a child will find an iPad, crafts, toys, and games. A parent will receive the first (of many) gift cards. While their child is in treatment, the family will get gift cards for gas and groceries, a house cleaning, meal delivery, or a special treat for a birthday or holiday.
Thank you to our community of heroes who made it possible for our childhood cancer families to have a CLS in the pediatric hospital.
Jamie Hess Funds Clinical Trials
We love when Massey Cancer drops us their annual stewardship report. In their 2021 report, they broke down how The Jamie Hess Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Fund advanced cancer research and clinical trials for pediatric bone marrow transplant and other cellular immunotherapy transplant patients. We were excited to see trials with the National Marrow Donor Program registry and related to COVID. Local oncologists and researchers can do these trials because of donations you made to the Jamie Hess Fund.
Jamie Hess’ parents established the fund after Jamie died from leukemia in 2002. The Hess family partnered with Connor’s Heroes in 2007. Pediatric patients isolated on the adult BMT Unit received comfort and support for their unique situations.
When the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU opens its state-of-the-art inpatient facility in 2023, pediatric BMT patients will FINALLY be treated with other pediatric patients. Medical staff will prepare transplant supplies on site in a space lovingly named The Jamie Hess Bone Marrow Transplant Lab. The Hess Lab is one of five rooms where Connor’s Heroes can be there with a family when they are treated in the new Wonder Tower.
Transforming A Child's Hospital Room
December ended with a flurry — a flurry of activity on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Erin, our Program Director, received notice that THREE childhood cancer patients would spend the holiday on the BMT Unit. Most stay on the unit for a month or more.
The BMT Unit is an adult unit with pediatric patients. Being in this adult unit can be a lonely experience for a family who hunkers down in the hospital room. Connor’s Heroes is one of a handful of nonprofits who is allowed on the BMT unit when doctors admit a pediatric patient.
When Erin learns a hero child is about to be admitted, she contacts a team of volunteers. They have the fun assignment of decorating the hospital room! Your donations allow them to shop for decorations, bedding, decor, and activities picked for that child. Because every child is different. They decorate every room differently.
You can see for yourself. Scroll through pictures of three rooms decorated for three hero patients: Alejandra (14 yrs old), Caleb (16 yrs old), and Isaiah (10 yrs old). You can see who loves Spiderman, Christmas, and music. We have to thank Juliana Martinez, Ellen Purcell and Martia Jones for taking time during the holidays to be on the unit decorating these rooms.
The good news is the care and comfort of a child admitted on the BMT Unit will change when the Wonder Tower opens in 2023.
Pediatric oncologists, care staff, nurses, researchers, and child life specialists finally will be together on the hematology and oncology floor, including pediatric BMT patients.
Connor’s Heroes will be there with them.
We will open five spaces in the new inpatient children’s hospital. The Connor’s Heroes BMT Play Room will be a fun multi-purpose space designed with the health needs of the BMT patient in mind. In The Jamie Hess Bone Marrow Transplant Lab, staff will prepare transplant supplies without having to leave the unit. This will maximize efficiency and quality of a child’s bone marrow transplant. We named the lab after Jamie Hess, who died from leukemia in 2002.
Learn more about Connor’s Heroes Rooms Filled With Hope on our website: www.connorsheroes.org/rooms-filled-with-hope/
Today's Helping Hero: Dewberry
Today's Helping Hero is Virginia-based planning and construction design firm, Dewberry. Their Richmond office didn't want the holiday season to go by without giving back to their community. The office held a drive for our Heroes Bag and Backpacks. They collected toys and games for our heroes aged toddlers to teens. Drew Stahling, Staff Engineer, worked with our program coordinator, Anne-Randolph. She clued him in on the best items to give our childhood cancer heroes. Anne-Randolph said:
"Connor's Heroes has been fortunate to work with many Richmond-area businesses who care about children as much as they do about their customers. When December rolled around, supplies for our Heroes Bags and Backpacks were low as we gave out close to 60 this year. Thanks to Dewberry, we are ready for the new year. We're restocked for this year's heroes!"
A new year means a new child diagnosed with cancer. A Connor's Heroes Parent Totebag and Backpack is a lifeline to a family who just learned their child has cancer. If you work for a company who, like Dewberry, appreciates giving back to your community, you too can host a Heroes Bag and Backpack supply drive. Anne-Randolph is happy to help you. You can find Anne-Randolph's contact information on our website at: www.connorsheroes.org/about-us/#our-staff
2021 Holiday Open House
"You showered us with HOLIDAY LOVE!"
— Mom of a childhood cancer hero
Hero families with a child in in active treatment received plenty of holiday cheer at the 2021 Holiday Open House on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. The Holiday Open House showed the hero families that there is a large community who care for them and want to give hope to them during this difficult time.
Celia (Executive Director), Erin (Program Director), Anne-Randolph (Program Coordinator) and Ceci (Development Coordinator) decorated the office into a winter wonderland. The Holiday Open House was our first family event in our new location on Broad Street!
"Tonight we got to celebrate the holidays with our sweet Connor's Heroes Foundation friends!!"
Throughout the day, parents and kids popped into the office. Some stopped by after their child’s appointment in clinic. A few parents shared the good news that their child moved off of treatment and moved up to maintenance. A big milestone in the child’s cancer journey!!
No matter their age — whether it was one-year-old Hailey up to 16-year-old Arianna — everyone enjoyed their brief visit jammed packed with fun. It was wonderful when several hero families finally met Erin after all these months texting, calling, and talking on the phone.
"The kids made ornaments, decorated cookies, drank hot chocolate, took some pictures! It was fabulous!"
You gave our hero families this wonderful time together. Each family left with gift bags dangling off their arms, piles of homemade cookies, and a crazy drink called a hot chocolate bomb (google it!). Every parent was grateful for the $250 gift card Celia or Erin handed them (or put in the mail). With this generous gift, they can purchase the holiday essentials such as travel to visit their family, buy groceries for a holiday dinner, or purchase that one special gift for which their child has been hoping for.
Connor’s Heroes wants to thank the holiday elves who helped host the Holiday Open House.
• Board members Marla, Cathy, Karrie, Tammy, and Gwendolyn were our greeters, decorators, card writers, and hot chocolate makers.
• Jill Voekler and Erin made plates and plates of delicious cookies.
• Cathy Heizer and Marla Fergerson doubled every dollar donated to the Holiday Hero Fund.
Thank you to all the generous people who donated to the holiday hero fund. You gifted hope and gave hope to all of our childhood cancer heroes. Yes, you are a holiday hero!
Ann D.
Anne and Tim B.
Blair P.
Bob and Bettylou Y.
Bob and Rhonda P.
Bolling S.
Bradley G.
Bruce and Crystal T.
Bud and Robin J.
Carey and Robert C.
Carla S.
Cathy H.
Celia and Dan M.
Cheryl T.
Chris and Laura M.
Chris and Vickie R.
Connie M.
Darrell and Marsha R.
David and Kay W.
Davis D.
Denise G.
Dennis and Deborah W.
Dianne S.
Don and Becky B.
Douglas and Lila G.
Dwayne and Janice M.
Elaine H.
Elizabeth M.
Elizabeth P.
Eric and Kendall E.
Erin and Britt C.
Forrest and Beverly M.
Francie M.
Frank and Kathryn B.
Gayton Baptist Church
Harris Mechanical Services, Inc
Henry M.
Herbert and Barbara J.
Jack and Marla F.
James and Christine H.
James H.
James H.
Jeff and Brenda S.
Jeff and Monica W.
Jeff S.
Jerry and Michelle S.
Jodi S.
John C.
Johnnie N.
Joseph and Janice Z.
Julia T.
Justin & Lacy Financial LLC
Keith H.
Kelli P.
Kenny and Sharon T.
Kevin and Emily W.
Kevin and Theresa H.
Kevin S.
Kyle and Jane M.
Laurel J.
Linda L.
Lynn M.
Marc and Barbara M.
Margaret and Scott H.
Mary R.
MassMutual
Matt R.
Matthew and Tammy G.
Melinda B.
Nicole J.
Pamela P.
Patricia M.
Paul C.
Perry and Anne-Randolph C.
Richard and Elinor B.
Rick and Rosemarie S.
RiverFront Investment Group, LLC
Robert and Susan H.
Ronnie M.
Scott and Mary P.
Scott and Melissa B.
Scott M.
Stanley and Bonnie C.
Sue L.
Teresa H.
Thomas B.
Tim and Leslie S.
Tom and Jill V.
Vicki H.
Wilbur and Ann L.
Today's Helping Hero: Kristin Seward and Patience Salgado
Today’s Helping Hero is the dynamic duo of Kristin Seward and Patience Salgado!
You’ve seen their names before. Kristin and Patience produced the powerful photo series Heart of the Family. They profiled the parents of Emory, Everett, and Cooper during September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This time, they volunteered their talents and took holiday portraits of our hero families. Dozens of families signed up and showed up at Bryan Park. Bryan Park was decked out in a beautiful array of brilliant fall colors. Some families brought their beloved four-legged family members to pose with the family. Jonathan’s mom couldn’t leave out his beloved pet: his giant rabbit named Coco! Everyone met Connor’s Heroes new buddy: Erin’s puppy, Dolly Rose.
Thank you Kristin and Patience for giving our hero families a special moment together — and capturing them in beautiful portraits they will treasure.
