Ceci Hull

Our 2019 Holiday Hero campaign was a success. Thanks to you, every family who had a child in active treatment and registered with Connor’s Heroes received a generous holiday surprise: a $250 Visa gift to use where they needed it most over the holidays. This magic moment happened thanks to the generous people listed here.

“More lights! More lights!” was the cheer our childhood cancer heroes and their families chanted as we took off in style for our annual Tacky Lights Tour last night. More than 100 hero family members piled into two big charter buses. We saw the best and the brightest (literally) of Richmond’s holiday lights.

The Holiday Lights Tour is for hero families who registered with Connor’s Heroes. We have children who are in active treatment having fun with teens who are out of treatment. Parents meet other caregivers and share stories and reassurance. The night started with everyone digging in for pizza and salad at Mellow Mushroom. After dinner, we boarded two charter buses. We drove through the West End checking out the best of the best of the holiday lights.

Connor’s Heroes offered the Holiday Lights Tour free of charge thanks to our team of heroes:

• Mellow Mushroom Midlothian fueled us up with a delicious pizza dinner.
• Winn Transportation drivers donated their tips back to Connor’s Heroes.
• McGuireWoods LLP finance and accounting department provided the best gift bags jammed packed with blinking light necklaces, reindeer antlers, goofy glasses, and yummy cookies!
• The Richmond Christmas Mother grant helped fund the tour.
• and YOU — Your generosity throughout the year gave our Heroes Of RVA this wonderful holiday adventure. Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who donated to be a holiday hero. You are the reason for the joy on the faces of the children and their families at our Annual Holiday Open House.

Children and parents did crafts, enjoyed homemade cookies and hot chocolate, made ornaments, and picked out toys!

The most meaningful (and unexpected) gift was a $250 Visa gift card for the parents. A family can choose where help is needed the most to get them through the holiday. During the Holiday Open House, we gave $25,000 in family support making it our most generous day of the year.

We decorated two rooms in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Our volunteers, Kendall and Martia, wanted Skylar and Jesse’s room decorations to be special. Martia showered Skylar’s room with her favorite – Unicorns. For Jesse, Kendall gave the family a safe space to comfort and cuddle their four-month-old son. Erin, our program director, spent the morning putting together a rocking chair and then carried it through the hospital and up to the floor.

From the smiles on their faces, Javi and his brother Alex loved their Game Night Fun Pack. Thank you to everyone who donated gift cards and games shared on our Amazon Wish List. Our Programs Staff, Erin and Sarah, package up your donations and mail them to a child who may need a pick-me-up!

When we heard the news that 6-year-old Ava was being admitted to the Bone Marrow Unit for the second time, our volunteer team of room decorators jumped into action. They filled her hospital room with sparkling holiday decorations and made it feel a little bit more like home.

We mailed Charlie a birthday card for her 4th birthday. Knowing how much she loves ice cream, we tucked inside a gift certificate for a special treat! Mom told us “Charlie loved receiving the Cold Stone gift card for her birthday! Thank you so much.”