6th Annual Heroes Art Ball - Photo Gallery 3
Thank you to Jean Lua for capturing these wonderful moments. To see more of her photography, visit her website at:
www.jluaphotography.com/
$10,000 for Childhood Cancer Heroes
There was excitement in the air at our 6th Annual Heroes Art Ball. Maybe it was the fact that Connor's Heroes was celebrating its 10th anniversary. Or that Dr. Seth Corey, the endowed chair leading the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund, was attending. It certainly was amplified when Jeff Brownstein, Chairman of the Board Of Directors, presented the Goodwin family with a poster of the names of the 1,000 families who were helped by Connor's Heroes.
The main event of the night was the auction of paintings by our young Childhood Cancer Heroes and area artists. Each painting was an expression of the artist's journey with childhood cancer. We never know which painting will be THE ONE!
Noelle's painting was the seventh one up for auction. It is a set of paintings done on wood with bright, festive colors of orange, blue and green. She collaborated on the pieces with artist Steve Hedberg. It was appropriately named "Colorful City." Justin, the emcee, introduced Noelle (who was joined on stage by Hero sibling, Ava). He told how Noelle was diagnosed with a form of ovarian cancer that shockingly occurs in teen girls. She had surgery to remove the massive tumor and underwent many rounds of chemotherapy. Amazingly, she finds the strength to attend a prestigious magnet high school.
The bidding started and soon there was a bidding war between guests. $3,000. $5,000. $8,000. What was next? Would it be?! Yes, $10,000!!! SOLD!
The winner was a couple who are long-time friends of Connor's Heroes. They have attended every Heroes Art Ball. Their house is full of Heroes art that they have collected through the years. Each painting reminds them of the bravery of the young Hero who painted it. They are especially proud that Connor's Heroes brought a notable pediatric cancer researcher to Richmond who will lead the effort in finding cures and improving treatments for our Heroes.
This was one very special moment of a night full of special moments. We appreciate the Hero Families who joined us as our special guests. Our corporate sponsors made it so every winning bid and donation went directly to our programs and cancer research. Of course, our committee of volunteers (chaired by Brooke and Jillian) created the magic for you!
Save the date for the 7th Annual Heroes Art Ball, May 5, Science Museum of Virginia.
More information, ticketing and silent auction at the official Heroes Art Ball event site.
6th Annual Heroes Art Ball - Photo Gallery 2
Thank you to Kate Grossman for these wonderful photos! For see more of her work, visit her website at: http://kategrossman.com/
6th Annual Heroes Art Ball - Photo Gallery 1
The Heroes Art Ball is more than a fundraising event. It is a magical night where our childhood cancer patients and their families get to forget for just a little while that they are battling childhood cancer. The 2016 Heroes Art Ball raised more than $200,000. This money will provide direct support to area Hero families and fund research through the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund and the Jamie Hess Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Fund.
Save the date for May 12, 2017!
Thank you Kristin Seward for sharing your talents to captures these moments. kristinsewardphotography.com
Childhood Cancer Research
In the childhood cancer community, research is a hot topic of discussion among parents. It also is at Connor's Heroes. When Connor started his treatment, there was no focused research in pediatric cancer conducted in Richmond. Today, that is not the case thanks to The Goodwin Family. Richmond has a cancer researcher who is focused on one thing... pediatric cancer. In September 2015, Dr. Corey came to Richmond to lead the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. The change will not happen overnight. Rest assured, with Dr. Corey, the CHF Research Fund can advocate for advancements in treatment and cures. https://www.connorsheroes.org/donate/research-fund/
Bettie Weaver Elementary Service Club
Thank you to Bettie Weaver Elementary PTA K-Kids Service Club for making small pots of flower seeds. Each one has an inspiration message. Hopefully, with some TLC, the seeds will bloom into a beautiful flower to brighten up a Hero child's room. This is one of the creative ways that kids help their fellow kids who are battling cancer. If your school or service club is in need of a project, contact Connor's Heroes. We can give you a list of items and gift cards that we know are popular in our Heroes Bags and Backpacks. Email erin at connorsheroes.org.
10 Years of Heroes
This may look like a simple, framed picture of the Connor's Heroes logo. Look closely. Surrounding it are the names of the children who Connor's Heroes helped since The Goodwin family started it 10 years ago. More than 1,000 families! CHF Board President, Jeff Brownstein, presented it to the Goodwin Family at the Heroes Art Ball. It was an emotional moment for this special family. Our website has profiles of many of these children. Take a moment to learn about the brave children who are part of the Connor's Heroes family.
Sunday Funday April
April was our last Sunday Funday before the Heroes Art Ball. All the children were excited to be together and create their art. Many of the pieces are on display at our 501auction site for the auction that is online right now. Others, we will auction at the Heroes Art Ball on May 6. We welcomed our newest heroes Aida and Jack. The Sunday Funday is a program that we developed with our Young Professional group. Connor's Heroes staff work with the volunteers to make sure the facilities and activities are appropriate for children who are in various stages of treatment and may need special accommodations. Our program funds allow the volunteers to purchase necessary art supplies for the sessions. Looking at the photos, you see how our hero families and our volunteers enjoy this time together.
The Story Behind This Picture
Grace was very excited to give Lisa a box full of cards and goodies that she made to show Lisa how much she appreciated her and Connor's Heroes. Grace was diagnosed with PreB Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in 2013. We were honored to have her as our hero at the 2014 Heroes Art Ball. Below, Chrissy, Grace's mom, tells you about this special moment for Grace (and Lisa).
This picture is worth a thousand words to me. When I look at it, memories and experiences of the past three years of Grace's cancer journey come to mind. Many of them have something to do with this lady right here and Connor's Heroes.
Anyone who knows me or my family knows our love and appreciation for our Connor's Heroes cancer family and how they have supported us in so many ways. I could never begin to cover all the ways in a single post. Between the gift cards, amazing events, monthly art sessions, ballet lessons for Grace, Diggityfest, The Art Ball, the personal love and care, the list could go on and on. They have been by our side since the very beginning and have never left.
The night this picture was taken, knowing we'd had a hard few weeks and that my kids adore hers, Lisa said she and her kids were going to babysit for us so Matt and I could have a date night. Her love and dedication are 24/7, 365 days a year. Later that same week I would sit with her in a funeral home as she supported a grieving family and heard her softly say to the funeral director that Connor's Heroes will help pay for the funeral.
This year this amazing organization accomplished a major milestone - years ago they started an endowment for pediatric cancer research. And after years of hard work, fundraising, meetings at MCV, and more passion and love than I could ever describe, Connor's Heroes helped fund a pediatric cancer researcher at MCV! Dr. Seth Corey started last fall and I cannot tell you how incredibly excited and hopeful we are that his research will find cures and that our children will benefit from these efforts! Connor's Heroes pours many of the funds they raise into pediatric cancer research. A large portion of the sales from my company, That's Sew Cutesy, go directly to this fund.
Sometimes the Lord brings times of reflection in our lives. This has been one of those seasons for me. I want to thank you with all my heart to Lisa and everyone at Connor's Heroes for everything you have done for my family and countless others! Thank you for pouring your heart into everything you do on behalf of our kids and THANK YOU for making pediatric cancer research possible here at MCV. Thank you for making this your life's work, to be an advocate for our children and families. We love you so very much and I praise God for my Connor's Heroes family as I cannot imagine this journey without them!
Alpha Tau Omega Bike 300 miles
Thank you to the brothers of Alpha Tau Omega at Virginia Tech for raising $2,700 to help children with cancer in Virginia. They created a unique fundraising event. They challenge themselves to bike for 24 hours straight - without leaving the Va. Tech campus! They would bike on a stationary bike. They set up a tent in the drill field of Va. Tech. Frat brothers hopped on and together they biked all day and night. Sunset to sunrise. What an experience! Several brothers donned superhero costumes and biked from Blacksburg to the children's hospital in Roanoke. People donated from all over included Va. Tech alumni. We are so grateful to these young men, many from the Richmond area, who recognized that it's important to be heroes to children with cancer. If your college or school service group is interested in hosting a fund raising event for childhood cancer heroes, we have great ideas to get you started.