Sunday Funday Part 3
Our Heroes took over The Center of the Universe Brewery for our October Sunday Funday. With the help of our volunteers, they decorated pumpkins to take home. For many of our families, finding time to decorate for the holidays is hard when our parents are juggling appointments, clinic visits and shuttling the family back and forth for the usual activities. Having a pumpkin or other decorations gives the children a sense of "normalcy" that is so important when the family is focused on childhood cancer. It is through your donations to Connor's Heroes that we have the financial resources to offer these fun-filled afternoons. Thank you to Natalie, Lauren, Sarah, Maggie, Makay, Nora, Melissa, Celia, David and Afton for having so much fun with our heroes. Don't you love the pumpkins decorated by Florian and Valentin, Savanna, Olivia and Callen, Lauren and her sister Ava and brother Jackson, Olivia and her brother Michael Jr., Jack and Ellie, and Bryant and Chase?
October Sunday Funday Part 2
Artist Camilo Perdomo was back in Richmond to collaborate with our young Heroes on another series of paintings for our 2017 Heroes Art Ball. He was part of our October Sunday Funday - a special monthly gathering of our parents, brothers, sisters, volunteers, staff and, of course, our Heroes. Thank you to our young professionals for organzing the art session at the Center of the Universe Brewery in Ashland. Thank you for your generous donations that allow us to host family activities like our Sunday Funday. We enjoyed a beautiful fall day outside of the hospital and clinic.
October Sunday Funday Part 1
It's Halloween. Time for trick and time for treat! Our Young Professional volunteer group hosted a Sunday Funday for our Hero families at the Center of the Universe Brewery in Ashland. Florian and Valentin, Savanna, Olivia and Callen, Lauren and her sister Ava and brother Jackson, Olivia and her brother Michael Jr., Jack and Ellie, and Bryant and Chase had a wonderful time together. They painted pumpkins and even worked on art for the 2017 Heroes Art Ball. The parents relaxed. Many were meeting each other for the first time. They shared incredible stories of the ups and downs of childhood cancer. It is through your donations to Connor's Heroes that we have the financial resources to offer these fun-filled afternoons.
Video Raises $1000 for our Heroes
Recognize that nurse? She's Afton, a L&D nurse who also is an amazing volunteer with Connor's Heroes. Afton submitted a video for the McKesson promotion, #idelivercarefor. Her video was picked and is now featured on their website. They will donate $1,000 in her name to one of the four partnering charities - and she chose Connor's Heroes! Thank you, Afton. If you are a healthcare professional or work in healthcare, grab your phone and shoot a 1-3 minute video like Afton did. If your video is picked, you, too, can make a thousand dollar donation. You can see Afton's video and learn how you can submit a quick clip that could raise $1,000 for Connor's Heroes.
From McKesson website:Share your #idelivercarefor story today!
Using the theme "I deliver care for..." record a 1-3 minute video or write a post telling us the story of how you and your organization deliver care and submit it on this website. Share your story here. The story should be focused on you and your facility's care. There is no need for you to make any reference to McKesson in your story or video. We're here to celebrate your great work. Also, please remember to leave out any confidential patient information.
October Sunday Funday
Our Sunday Fundays are a great way to offer your time to help our Hero Families. You spend a few hours helping the children make art and special gifts for the upcoming Heroes Art Ball. Help every session or when you are available. I can guarantee you that you will enjoy yourself as much as the children. For more information and other volunteer opportunities, visit www.connorsheroes.org/get-involved
Thank you to Celia and our Young Professionals who make our Sunday Funday sessions possible.
Heroes Run Raises $13,000
$13,000! That is the tally from the third annual Heroes Run, motorcycle ride and rally. What made it even more special is that the crew plans it for September's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. That amount of money is going to do wonders in supporting our hero families. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the family is suddenly thrust into a financial tailspin. Connor's Heroes helps with the little expenses that add up - parking passes for the hospital parking deck, groceries, gas to drive to/from appointments, meals because there is no time to figure out what's for dinner. The money raised by Joe, Justin, Rudy, and their friends will provide much-needed financial support for our Hero Families!
Heroes of RVA!
Thank you to everyone who was so inspired by our profiles of our Heroes of RVA photo series that you gave to fund research through the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund and the Jamie Hess Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Fund. Obviously, you care about research as much as Dr. Corey and his team. Thank you for allowing him to conduct his research at VCU Massey Cancer Center knowing you've got his back. Together we will stand strong for our Heroes of RVA! If you missed out, and want to give, you can donate online. Specify you want your gift to fund childhood cancer research that is conducted here in Richmond, and will benefit children all over.
$30,000 Raised For Research
I can't believe it as I type this... $30,000!!! That is the amount of money that the Dwight Yoakam concert with Music For Massey raised for the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. A big thank you to our hero, Jim Napier from Napier Realtors ERA. Jim is a long-time friend to Connor's Heroes. He is dedicated to closing the gap in federal funding for childhood cancer by raising money for research here in our community through VCU Massey Cancer Center. Because of him, the sponsors of Music For Massey, and you... Dr. Corey will lose no ground is establishing a solid pediatric cancer research program in Richmond.
Launch of Heroes of RVA
Over the next 15 days, I'll be posting stories of incredible people, created by a professional photographer and my friend, Kristin Seward Photography. This is your chance to see first-hand the "new normal" of childhood cancer but through, what Kristin calls her, Lens Of Hope. It won't be easy, but it will reward you with an understanding of why we have to conquer childhood cancer. We want to raise much-needed funds to jumpstart childhood cancer research in Richmond. We already have $50,000 committed. With your help, we can to match that amount. Yes, we can donate $100,000 to childhood cancer research. It starts right here, with your donation.
To see more of Kristin's Lens Of Hope series, visit her website: www.kristinseward.com/
We started with a… doctor
We started with... a doctor - a physician-scientist to be specific. With the endowment fund fully funded in 2013, the search began for Richmond's first pediatric oncologist to lead a team of researchers focused on pediatric cancer. Our search led us to Dr. Seth Corey, a noted researcher in bone marrow transplants and leukemia. Dr. Corey is finishing his first year here. Now he zeroed in on his priorities... dedicated 3T MRI for the Children's Pavilion, lecture series for his fellow doctors, improving staffing. He's ready to make things happen, are you? #CHF10yrs #HeroesofRVA
Stay tuned for how you can be a part of raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer research in Richmond!