Mellow Mushroom Pizza Party!
Connor’s Heroes hosted our annual Make Your Own Pizza Party with childhood cancer hero families. The event is so popular, we needed two days. We hosted it on Saturday and Sunday. 40 families came ready to make their own pizza pies.
The Pizza Party is a chance for childhood cancer hero families to be together and have fun. Families picked out their favorite toppings – from pepperoni to pineapple, cheese to veggies – and created their pizza masterpieces! They walked them over to Mellow Mushroom’s big brick oven and then… Incredibile, è ora di mangiare la pizza!! (Thank you Google Translate)
A big thank you to Susan and the team at Mellow Mushroom. Susan donates the pizzas, staff, and venue because she cares so much about the hero families. Looking at the photos, you can see how much the kids enjoyed being Pizza Chefs. For the parents, the party is a chance to do something fun together as a family.
2024 Circle Of Heroes
2024 Circle Of Heroes Reception
The Circle Of Heroes Reception honored the individuals who generously give at the leadership level to Connor’s Heroes. This year’s reception featured two powerful speakers: a mom whose child is currently benefiting from Connor’s Heroes support, and the mom who founded the organization. Together, they shared their emotional journeys and the impact Connor’s Heroes has had on their families.
“Mommy, take a bow!”
Elizabeth’s son James was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2021. Now four years old and in post treatment, James stood proudly by his mom’s side as she reflected on the early days of his treatment. The iPad in his Heroes Bag and Backpack got him through his first hospital stays. A time she described as “raw and scary.”
Elizabeth, James, and her husband Joe continue to find a community of support through Connor’s Heroes. The family loves the Heroes Art Sessions and other family events — especially the End Of Summer party at Hardywood.
“I’ll never forget taking him to the party at Hardywood. It was the first time I got to watch him play with another child since he was diagnosed,” Elizabeth said describing an important moment in his cancer journey.
“Can’t do what we do without you.”
The next speaker, Lisa, brought the evening full circle. Lisa is the mom to a very special hero: Connor. The family started Connor’s Heroes in 2006 after Connor was diagnosed with ALL (the same cancer as Elizabeth’s son James) when he was a preschooler. Today, Connor is a law student at UofR!
Lisa reflected on how much the nonprofit has grown — from increasing patient support to funding critical research, all with support from the community. “Connor’s Heroes has stayed true to its mission. I am gratified to see how far it has come and how far it is going to go!”
Elizabeth and Lisa represented two sides of the same powerful story: a mother who discovered a community of heroes ready to help, and the other, a mother who ensured that no family would face their child’s cancer alone.
Leave a legacy to children with cancer
If you want to be a part of our Circle of Heroes, contact Celia, Executive Director. You can email her at celia@connorsheroes.org or call (804) 897-1272. You can easily give online — even setting up monthly payments to make giving easier. Click here for our secure website.
You may want to leave a lasting legacy to children with cancer. Visit our website to learn how you can donate securities, donor advised funds, or planned gifts. https://www.connorsheroes.org/legacy-giving/
Thank you to Nicholas Ratcliff for taking photos at the reception, and to The Heritage for hosting.
Today's Helping Hero: Closet Factory & In Good Order
Today’s Helping Hero is Closet Factory & In Good Order
Megan Underwood with Closet Factory creates the custom closet of your dreams. Celia contacted Megan with a special request from a special family. The mom of a teenage girl, Aaliyah, needed to get her closet in order before she was discharged from the hospital after a long two month stay. Megan and her design team got to work.
Can you believe this is the SAME closet???
With the right shelving and organization, Aaliyah’s small closet was transformed. Mary at In Good Order came to help organize everything. What a dream team.
If you are a company with a service (i.e. electrician, small job contractor, landscaper, auto mechanic, etc.) you think would help a hero family, please contact us. We might have a (volunteer) “job” for you! Email Dayna, our Program & Volunteer Manager, or call her at the office (804) 897-1272.
September Heroes Art Session
Falling Into Fall
Childhood cancer heroes and their families spent the afternoon creating wonderful Fall crafts. The children made vibrant sun catchers that shined like fall leaves in the sunlight. They painted trees with colorful fall leaves. They connected with nature through terrarium-making. Each child created tiny, ecosystems using dirt, stones, little decorations, and beautiful air ferns. Watching the children create reminded us that the changing beauty of autumn can be captured not just in nature, but in the art we create.
We are grateful to the volunteers who created with the children. It was really special to have a team of pediatric oncology nurses who work on the 12th Floor where most of our heroes are admitted when they are in the hospital. The nurses enjoyed seeing the kids outside of the hospital.
Hero Families: Aschemund, Caleb, Charlotte, Kennedy, Ruby, Tay, Tecumseh
Volunteers: Adelaide, Ashton, Brittany, Emily, Gurbani, Gracie, Kristie, Laura, Maddie, Meredith, Nancy, Olivia #1, Olivia #2, Phyllis
About Heroes Art Session With Childhood Cancer Heroes And Their Families
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, you feel a collective sense of healing by creating and being together. We are grateful to Visual Arts Center 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 and to supply the artists with their materials.
Go Gold In September
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. A month when the world is asked to “Go Gold” for pediatric cancer. Gold was chosen to represent pediatric cancer because gold is a precious metal. And children are our most precious treasure.
Go Gold is also an opportunity for local businesses to support local childhood cancer heroes. Discover how you can shop and give back to hero families.
If you’re a fashionista, sneakerhead, or heel fanatic who loves one-of-a-kind footwear, then check out Saxon Shoes in Short Pump. Saxon Shoes partnered with local artists who hand-painted pairs of shoes. How do you get your hands on these shoes? You gotta win them in Saxon’s online auction.
Proceeds will benefit Connor’s Heroes and two other worthy nonprofits (who also help childhood cancer hero families) – ASK and Noah’s Children. The bidding is now open. It ends on September 30 at 6 pm. Saxon Shoes is at Short Pump Town Center.
Once again, our friends at Once Upon A Child in Midlothian will stand up for childhood cancer heroes with a fundraiser during September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every FRIDAY in September — 15% of your purchase is given back to Connor’s Heroes.
Once Upon A Child buys and sells gently used kids & teens’ clothes, shoes, toys. You can find your favorite brands at affordable prices. And help children who are battling cancer.
Once Upon A Child in Midlothian is at 9770 Midlothian Turnpike. Come by on Fridays.
2024 Hero Squad Soiree
2024 Hero Squad Soiree
DATE: Wednesday, October 9
TIME: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
TICKETS: $25 purchase online: onecau.se/_689391
LOCATION: ZZQ — 3201 W Moore St, Richmond, VA 23230
Join us for a night of great food, open bar, live music and one amazing cause. The Hero Squad is caring people from all over Central Virginia who came together for one purpose: to make sure no family faces a child’s cancer alone. Connor’s Heroes will honor all the Hero Squad members with special recognition for the top three fundraisers! Your ticket includes ZZQ BBQ & open bar.
Summer Send Off
Cancer Hero Families Came Together
The Summer Send-Off keeps growing. This year over 100 hero kids, family members and friends joined us at Hardywood. The Summer Send-Off is one of our biggest family events of the year. We invited children who are in treatment and out. Parents loved meeting other hero parents, especially knowing their children are on similar cancer journeys. They shared advice, encouragement, and lots of hugs.
Summer Fun For Everyone
The kids made terrariums and fairy gardens! They carefully filled each container with dirt, rocks, and accessories. They picked out cute air ferns to live in their homes. Good luck taking care of your new PFF — Plant Friends Forever!
Big Herm’s Catering delivered an incredible spread of BBQ with all the fix’ns. Everyone’s favorite, The King Of Pops, handed out their cool popsicles. The main event is always Jonathan The Juggler. He entertained kids (and parents) with his slapstick, magic tricks, and incredible juggling skills.
“I Had So Much Fun!”
Thank you to our amazing volunteers, board members (and donors) for making this event possible. Our friends at ARCO Design/Build helped with the crafts, tattoo station and even put their building skills to work constructing the perfect roll of cotton candy using the cotton candy machine. Thank you to Jennike for face painting. You transformed the kids into tigers, dogs, dragon, or whatever they imagined.
Connor’s Heroes hosts events for hero families — like the Summer Send Off — thanks to your generous donations. We offer these events free of charge to patients, parents, caregivers, and siblings. Thank you for giving our families a playful, wonderful evening together.
If you work for a company or service organization who likes to give back, Connor’s Heroes has opportunities for short-term volunteering or a day of service. Email Dayna at dayna@connorsheroes.org for information. Or visit our online volunteer portal: https://www.connorsheroes.org/ways-to-give/
2024 Jr. Hero Squad
During the month of July, teams of kids, from preschool to college, pledged to raise $500 each for childhood cancer heroes. The Jr. Hero Squad is a fun way for kids to help kids and share in the spirit of caring for others.
19 kids — from toddler to teen — joined the 2024 Jr. Hero Squad. Working together, the 2024 Jr. Hero Squad raised over $17,000 — tripling their original goal!
At Connor’s Heroes Night at Gelati Celsti, we had a mini-medal ceremony honoring the Jr. Hero Squad members.
A big thank you to the 2024 Jr. Hero Squad: Annabelle & Isaac, Emily, Finn, Hal & Maren, Julianna, Lincoln, Lauren, Lucas & Lily, Mark, Sarah Jane & Boden, Poppy, Valentin & Florian, and Wyatt. You were the hero who children with cancer needed. We were honored to have childhood cancer heroes Emily, Wyatt, Mia, Lauren & Valentin on the squad. They know first hand the impact Connor’s Heroes can have on a family.
The Jr. Hero Squad is one way you can raise money for children with cancer using the power of your community. For example, instead of gifts on your birthday, ask for gifts to Connor’s Heroes! Connor’s Heroes makes it easy for you to fundraise online. We will set you up with a personal fundraising website. You share the link with your friends and family. They donate towards your goal. Email ceci@connorsheroes.org for more information.
You can:
PLEDGE YOUR BIRTHDAY (or any special event in your life)
HOST A GIFT CARD DRIVE (from our Amazon wishlist)
JOIN THE HERO SQUAD (for young professionals, college students, or retirees)
July Heroes Art Session
Christmas In July
It was “Christmas In July” at the July Heroes Art Session. The kids had a great time making holiday-inspired crafts. They made reindeers out of clothes pins & pipe cleaners (a craft classic), snowflakes out of colored beads, and decorated paper trees. Everyone was happy to have homemade ornaments for the holidays.
Every year, Connor’s Heroes hosts a Holiday Open House for hero families whose children are in active treatment over the holidays. We surprise each family with their favorite gifts, gift cards, and a $250 Visa to help with holiday expenses. Keep an eye out for our e-newsletter, Heroes & Hope, and how you can give a hero a magical holiday. If you have not subscribed to Heroes & Hope, sign up online: https://bit.ly/heroes-and-hope-newsletter
Hero Families: Ruby, Kennedy & Lauren
Volunteers: Ellen, Gurbani, Phyllis, Olivia, Ana, Emily, Katie, Laura and Adelaide
About Heroes Art Session With Childhood Cancer Heroes And Their Families
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, you feel a collective sense of healing by creating and being together. We are grateful to Visual Arts Center 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 and to supply the artists with their materials.
Peek Inside Willow & Amy's Hospital Rooms
Decking Out A Hospital Room
Thank you to our community of heroes. You allow Connor’s Heroes to bring comfort to a childhood cancer hero — one hospital room at a time! Willow and Amy — two childhood cancer heroes — started their long hospital stays in rooms decorated by Connor’s Heroes. See how we made their rooms special (and sparkle) as they went through a crucial bone marrow transplant.
Willow’s Hospital Room
Hello Kitty… Rainbows… Gabby’s Dollhouse
Three-year-old Willow and her mom needed some positivity sent their way for Willow’s long stay in the hospital for her bone marrow transplant. Jillian, Program Director, knew what would make Willow smile. From Hello Kitty to Willow’s favorite snack, chocolate covered pretzels. Jillian decorated Willow’s hospital room with all of her favorite things.
Amy’s Hospital Room
In the quiet of the night, Connor’s Heroes brought joy and light to a child’s hospital room. 16-year-old Amy began her bone marrow transplant journey in a hospital room decorated by Connor’s Heroes. Amy discovered her room decked out with rainbows and Care Bears.
Donate Your Talents As A Hospital Room Decorator
When a child registered with Connor’s Heroes is admitted to the hospital for a bone marrow transplant, the hospital staff often asks us to decorate the child’s hospital room. We shop and decorate the room in the child’s favorite colors, superhero, celebrity, or sport team.
Connor’s Heroes is in need of creative people (who have a knack for decorating) to be Hospital Room Decorators! If you are interested in learning more about decorating a child’s hospital room, fill out our online interest form: https://bit.ly/connors-heroes-volunteer.
Dayna, Program and Volunteer Manager, will contact you. You will learn how you can transform a room from hospital to magical for a child battling cancer.
If you can not donate your time, you can donate. A $250 donation covers the cost of decorations for one child’s hospital room. Make your donation online: https://bit.ly/BeAHero_Donate