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!
We started with… a mentor
We started with a... mentor. Here's Barbara, mom to Jamie Hess, setting up for the 2016 Heroes Art Ball. I look at this photo and remember how important Barbara and her husband Fred were to Connor's Heroes when we began. They asked us to reach out to the pediatric patients who were isolated on the bone marrow transplant unit. Because of their suggestion, for more than 10 years, our volunteers have decorated the rooms of any child on the BMT Unit and we created the Room of Possibilities family room on the Unit. Barbara and Fred encouraged us as we worked with VCU Massey Cancer Center and Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU on funding for pediatric cancer research. Today, the Jamie Hess Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Research Fund and Connor’s Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund are the only ones in Richmond dedicated to supporting ground-breaking research in childhood cancer. We are lucky to have Barbara and Fred as our #HeroesofRVA.
We started with… a balloon
We started with a... balloon. When your child has cancer, you celebrate as much as you can. One celebration for our young heroes on the BMT unit is DAY ZERO! This is the day when your child receives new bone marrow/stem cells through a central line. We call it a SECOND BIRTHDAY. Erin surprises the child with a balloon and a plaque. Sometimes the staff and family sing happy birthday. It is an exciting moment, and fraught with emotion. Connor's Heroes earned the trust of the BMT staff and doctors, so that we could be on the unit to offer emotional an financial support. Through your volunteering, gifts and prayers, you show that no child should be alone. That makes you a hero of RVA. We're getting ready to announce how you can make a difference in the lives of children fighting cancer in our community. Are you ready?
We started with… a promise
We started with... a promise. Wow, here we are in 2013 celebrating the formal creation of the Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer Research with amazing support from the Children's Hospital Foundation and VCU Massey Cancer Center. The search began for an esteemed physician-scientist and we received naming rights for The Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund, with our commitment to donate at least $100,000 more! Our growing community of supporters didn’t waiver. You were driven by the stories of our brave heroes. Dr. Ginder, Dr, Rubin, and VCU Massey Cancer Center were with us every step of the way. We are at a crossroads in childhood cancer. Are you ready to take the next step??
9 Angels 9 Months
Yes, 9 angels over 9 months. With cancer, a child loses an average of 71 years of life, vs. an adult's 15 years. Cancer robs the world of children who would have been a class valedictorian, a teacher, a mom or a dad, a politician or a doctor - maybe the doctor who unlocks a breakthrough in cancer research. Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children. Every 3 minutes a child is diagnosed worldwide. Yet, the federal government only spends 4% of its funds on childhood cancer research. That 4% has stayed the same since Connor's Heroes started 10 years ago! With your help, we can make pediatric cancer a priority!
We started with… some tennis greats
We started with... some tennis greats. Thanks to James Blake, Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, and the Bryan Brothers, and our amazing corporate sponsor, Anthem, there is research in childhood cancer happening at VCU Massey Cancer Center. In 2007, Blake and Fish played in Richmond for the AnthemLIVE tennis challenge. The following year, Blake and Roddick took on the Bryan Brothers. Over $100,000 was directed to the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. It was what we needed to jumpstart our campaign. We proved that Connor's Heroes was serious about childhood cancer research. Now, six years later, Richmond has Dr. Corey, a research oncologist in pediatric cancer. He is the first endowed chair named for pediatric cancer research in Richmond!