Today's Helping Hero: Erica & Matt
Today’s Helping Heroes are Erica and Matt: a wonderful couple who turned their wedding day into a giving day. They asked their wedding guests to donate to their favorite organizations instead of purchasing gifts. Erica has been a longtime volunteer and supporter of Connor’s Heroes and we were so grateful she chose us to receive these special gifts. Erica said:
“Our wedding was a reason to support the amazing work you do for the brave children who are treatment.”
If you have a special event coming up (like a birthday, anniversary, wedding day), you can turn your special day into a giving day. Email ceci@connorsheroes to learn how.
The Abandoned Tour
Local photographer John Plashal will guide a group of 20 for a private tour of four unique local landmarks:
Swannanoa Palace, Hamilton High School, Belmead-on-the-James plantation, and St. Francis de Sales High School for African American girls.
This is a VIP, special access tour paired with a narrative that will deepen your appreciation for these incredibly beautiful properties, which are not currently open to the public.
DATE: Saturday, June 12, 2021
PRICE: $150 per person
TICKETS: Secure your spot by contacting Leah Ball at hears2leah@gmail.com
LOCATION: various locations in/around Richmond area
This event is brought to you by Team Callen. Team Callen is a group of friends and family of Callen. Callen is bravely battling cancer and is one of the many families supported by Connor’s Heroes. Your ticket will support the mission of Connor’s Heroes.
The Ruins of Presidents Park
Experience the ruins of the renowned decaying Presidential sculptures at Presidents Park.
Presidents Park was an outdoor ten-acre sculpture park with 20-foot tall busts of the presidents of the United States from George Washington to George W. Bush. The park was opened from 2004 – 2010. The 42 giant heads have sat tucked away on a farm, which is private property and not open to tourists. Until now. On July 3 and 4, the property owner will allow people on the site. If you are a photographer, videographer, or drone photographer, this is your opportunity to photograph these internationally renowned decaying Presidential sculptures. TICKETS ARE LIMITED.
DATE: Saturday, July 3, 2021 (two-hour tours throughout the day) and Sunday, July 4, 2021
PRICE: $9.00 youth, $23 general, $59 VIP
TICKETS: online on www.johnplashalphoto.com (You will see multiple tours listed. You can scroll down to see the July 3 & 4th tours benefitting Connor’s Heroes)
LOCATION: Williamsburg VA (you will receive an email with the exact location and parking after you register)
Proceeds from your ticket will benefit Connor’s Heroes.
www.johnplashalphoto.com
The popular travel blog, Atlas Obscura, featured Presidents Park. Read the article here: [LINK]
This event is brought to you by Team Callen. Team Callen is a group of friends and family of Callen. Callen is bravely battling cancer and is one of the many families supported by Connor’s Heroes. Your ticket will support the mission of Connor’s Heroes. To learn more about Callen and Connor’s Heroes, you can read his story posted on our website.
Topping Out Ceremony
May 19th was a big day for our childhood cancer heroes and their families. We celebrated the virtual topping out of the final steel beam on the 16-story Wonder Tower. You can watch the ceremony video online [LINK]. Near the end of the video, our hero Becca and her mom tell you why they are excited about the Wonder Tower. The Wonder Tower is a 500,000-square-foot expansion of the neighboring Children’s Pavilion that opened in 2016. The new wing of the children’s hospital is expected to open in 2023.
Connor’s Heroes is raising money to open five rooms in the Wonder Tower. We designed each room with our childhood cancer heroes, their hero families, our staff, volunteers, and hospital healthcare teams in mind. Just as the Wonder Tower will transform downtown Richmond, The Connor’s Heroes ROOMS FILLED WITH HOPE will transform the care and comfort of a child with cancer in the new hospital. Visit our website to see the wonderful things that will happen in the ROOMS FILLED WITH HOPE.
We have an ambitious goal to raise $250,000 for our Rooms Filled With Hope capital campaign. We can thanks to the generosity of caring people like you! You can contact Celia Tetlow Martin. Executive Director, Connor’s Heroes Foundation at celia@connorsheroes.org or calling (804) 897-1272. She can discuss how you can make a legacy gift for the brave childhood cancer heroes in Central Virginia.
Today's Helping Hero: JLL
Connor’s Heroes board member, Zach Isbell, brought his colleagues from JLL (a commercial real estate services company with an office in Richmond) to volunteer at our office. They were ready to bring happiness to our hero families. They collectively put together hundreds of our signature hero notecards and packed up a bunch of Family Fun Packs! They are all ready to be delivered right to a family’s doorstep! Thanks JLL for all that you do!
Interested in volunteering? Email Anne-Randolph@connorsheroes.org
Today's Helping Hero: Johanna
I’ve always loved Usborne books and wanted to support my friend Christy’s book business. I’ve seen how much a new story or activity book could brighten my kids’ days. My hope is these books can brighten the days of children in treatment for cancer. So many people covered me in support during my cancer treatment, and I want to continue to pour that support back into the community.
Johanna can relate to our heroes as she continues to navigate her own journey with cancer. Together with her friends, they donated close to $1,000 worth of beautiful children’s activity and story books for all reading levels. We can’t wait to add these special gifts to our Hero Backpacks soon!
People like Johanna are finding creative and caring ways to help our childhood cancer heroes during this tough time. You can host a donation drive for our Heroes Bag and Backpacks.
This website – WAYS TO GIVE – shows you how! www.connorsheroes.org/ways-to-give/
Hiring Program Coordinator
Connor's Heroes is hiring! We are looking for a special individual to join our team as a part-time Program Coordinator. Interested in learning more? See the job description below or contact our Executive Director, Celia Tetlow Martin, at celia@connorsheroes.org
https://www.connectva.org/job/program-coordinator-18/
Today's Helping Hero: New Day Equine Therapy
Since 2019, New Day Equine Therapy in Ashland offered horseback riding lessons for our hero families. Thanks to the support of your donations, our hero families could take lessons for free through Connor’s Heroes. Bruce believes in the therapeutic power of caring and bonding with a beautiful horse to help a cancer patient. We started the program in May 2019 and continue to offer horseback riding lessons during the pandemic. Bruce shared these pictures of three of our hero families who are currently taking lessons. By the looks on their faces, the kids (and parents) are having a great time.
Today's Helping Hero: RiverFront Investment Group
Today’s Helping Hero is a local investment company who will have a big impact on the lives of our childhood cancer heroes. RiverFront Investment Group announced Connor’s Heroes as their 2021 Charitable Giving Partner. The partnership includes a $25,000 donation and a commitment to volunteerism throughout 2021.
In a press release announcing the grant, Kaetlin Collins, RiverFront’s Charitable Giving Committee Chair, said “During the COVID-19 Pandemic we were reminded of the impact RiverFront can make in our local communities. When looking for a 2021 partner, our associates turned to those non-profits that had found ways to adapt in 2020 to continue to serve those in need. The partnership with Connor’s Heroes was exciting because it gave us the opportunity to volunteer in a variety of ways both virtually and in person. We are so excited to be working with Connor’s Heroes and are looking forward to helping local families during their childhood cancer journey.”
You can learn more about RiverFront and its commitment to philanthropy on their website: www.riverfrontig.com
Connor’s Heroes can thank our caring families for making this grant possible. Erin asked families to share testimonials and photos of how a Connor’s Heroes Bag and Backpack helped their child at the initial days of treatment. Celia included the faces and stories of our brave childhood cancer heroes in her presentation. Obviously, their appreciation moved the employees of RiverFront.
If you watch local news, two television station’s are covering this exciting news.
www.wric.com
www.wtvr.com
ABOUT RIVERFRONT: RiverFront Investment Group is a global asset manager focused on
Process over Prediction — a dynamic investment approach driven by a systematic, repeatable
methodology. The firm provides flexible, risk-managed solutions for a range of investment
objectives and risk tolerances. RiverFront Investment Group, LLC (“RiverFront”), is a registered
investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration as an
investment adviser does not imply any level of skill or expertise. Any discussion of specific
securities is provided for informational purposes only and should not be deemed as investment
advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any individual security mentioned. RiverFront is
affiliated with Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (“Baird”), member FINRA/SIPC, from its
minority ownership interest in RiverFront. RiverFront is owned primarily by its employees
through RiverFront Investment Holding Group, LLC, the holding company for RiverFront. Baird
Financial Corporation (BFC) is a minority owner of RiverFront Investment Holding Group, LLC
and therefore an indirect owner of RiverFront. BFC is the parent company of Robert W. Baird &
Co. Incorporated, a registered broker/dealer and investment adviser. Learn more at
riverfrontig.com
Today's Helping Hero: Savanna
Savanna and her family have been part of our community of heroes for a long time. Now her friends and family who participated in the Game Drive are part of this amazing community. Thank you Savanna for your enormous heart and passion to give back to other childhood cancer heroes!
— Celia, Executive Director
Our Helping Hero — Savanna — is at it again!
Savanna was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 8 in 2014. She underwent months of chemo, radiation and ultimately a bone marrow transplant. Today Savanna is post-treatment. She always thinks of the kids who are still in the fight. Savanna has given back to her childhood cancer heroes through her fundraiser: SAVANNA’S GIVE BACK, GAME DRIVE. Savanna has stocked the Room Of Possibilities on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, filled Connor’s Heroes Backpacks, and filled our Connor’s Heroes Fun Packs.
She picks the things a child battling cancer would love during long stays in the hospital or for a fun night with family at home. Over the past five years, Savanna collected and donated more than 1,700 games, toys, and items for her Annual SAVANNA’S GIVE BACK, GAME DRIVE.
There were so many boxes, your donations turned our conference room into a warehouse full of fun.
Follow Savanna’s Annual Game Drive on Facebook. She will open the packages she received and post the videos on Facebook. (It’s called unboxing and it is really fun to watch!!)
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=700607057243766&id=277487739555702
Learn more about Savanna in this recent profile written by the older sister of another childhood cancer hero, Lauren. https://3103869.wixsite.com/purpleperspective/post/savanna-smiles?fbclid=IwAR1CKwZwvFxBDrerezuFHy1z24cRSevCQT0WDJ9QiX-FICIAEYYeMhZKRwg