Be a Hero Family Underwriter
You can give a young Hero a magical night away from the hospital surrounded by the community who cares. Your gift of $500 makes you a Hero Family Underwriter. We'll surprise a family by telling them that their son or daughter will attend the ball thanks to you! You'll receive a picture and bio of the beautiful child you are sponsoring. Whether you are attending the Art Ball or not, you can make it a special night for a Hero Family.
Moms Helping Moms
Last week was the first meeting of Connor's Heroes new Programs Committee. Programs like our Heroes Bags and Backpacks and Superheroes and Sidekicks are offered to our families who register with Connor's Heroes. As I looked around the room, I loved seeing all of the Hero Moms and Dads sitting with our board members. Who better than the parents of children with cancer to advise us on the best ways we can directly help our Hero families? One mom, Chrissy, posted in Facebook: "I am thankful for my Connor's Heroes family and... for each and every one of those fellow Cancer Fighting Mammas in that room... They are are such a blessing and encouragement to me." Fran, Erin, and I look forward to working with this great group of parents. Stay tuned for details on our programs and how you can be a part of our community of heroes.
Amazon’s Giving Site Raises Money for Connor’s Heroes
If you shop on Amazon, did you know that you can automatically donate a portion of your purchase to help our Hero Families? When shopping use smile.amazon.com and not the usual amazon web site. You log on using your same credentials. Select Connor's Heroes as your charity! Shop like you normally do and every quarter we'll receive a check. Remember to bookmark
smile.amazon.com
Businesses stand in support of our Heroes
Hunton & Williams, McGuire Woods, and Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU are our latest heroes for sponsoring this year's Heroes Art Ball on May 1, 2015. In return, they will receive tickets to the ball and lots of accolades. My goal is to, for the first time, raise $100,000 for the hundreds of children who will need our help this year. Will you help our heroes by sponsoring this year's Heroes Art Ball? Click here ►
Win a Motorcycle! Raffle benefits Connor’s Heroes
Our friends with the Heroes Run motorcycle rally are gearing up for another great event this Fall. The first Heroes Run raised money for the outreach that Connor's Heroes offers to the families in treatment at Children's Hospital of VCU and was one heck of a party! What's cool about this year's event is our friends are building a motorcycle to raffle at the rally. You can follow the progress of the build on their blog http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40663&p=652283#post652283
Here’s to our Volunteers - our Heroes!
In a few hours, our volunteers made a big difference in the lives of our Hero families. Volunteers spent one morning writing inspirational notes for 40 of our families. Tucked in each note was a gift card for gas or groceries. It depended on what the family needed the most to help get them through another week of treatment. A crew of volunteers filled our Heroes Bags and Backpacks with donated items. The volunteers packed each one for a boy or girl, carefully choosing items for a particular age. If you want to volunteer for Connor’s Heroes, contact Erin at erin@connorsheroes.org or call our office at (804) 897-1272.
One mom sent Fran an email expressing her appreciation for the gas gift card:
We received the gas card last month and I want to say thank you for that. We travel to Richmond at least two days per week since this has all begun. The gas cards are a great help to me, especially since I am missing work without pay when I take him to appointments or stay with him during hospitalizations. It's hard to believe it's almost all over. It's been a challenging road and we are forever changed by this path we've walked. I am thankful for all who supported us through this difficult time.
Bon Air Elementary Whips Childhood Cancer
Would you take a pie in the face to whip Childhood Cancer? The principal of Bon Air Elmentary did! The lucky student who got to pie Mr. Tetlow was a former Hero, Wyatt! Wyatt has been cancer free for a year and a half. Mr. Tetlow is the father of our amazing board member Celia. This is a great example of a community of heroes from the past and present who rally for a future without Childhood Cancer.
See our Heroes creating art for you!
The Heroes Art Ball is three months away which means we've got to get busy! Our hero families came to glave kocen gallery for the first of several sessions to create the art we will auction at the Heroes Art Ball on May 1, 2015. The kids work with the area's top artists. We are in awe of the support we receive from Richmond's art's community. The website for the Heroes Art Ball is ready for you to purchase tickets. Click the bar below.
Shopping for shoes can raise money for our Heroes
Want to help our Heroes? Then you must buy a new pair of shoes!! Our friends at Saxon Shoes will donate 10% to Connor’s Heroes on purchases made in-store or online between now and Feb 15th.
When you shop, provide Saxon with your email.
Within 3 days, you will receive instructions on how to specify Connor's Heroes as your charity. Donations are processed through the local philanthropy group, Plan G.
Happy Shopping! Happy Giving!
2014 Year In Review
A Note from Lisa Goodwin, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Connor's Heroes Foundation
Walking into the outpatient pediatric oncology clinic, I easily recognize the parents who recently learned their child has cancer. They look stunned, scared, and overwhelmed - the same emotions I had when my son, Connor, was diagnosed eleven years ago. After his treatment, I was determined to make sure no family faces the uncertainty of cancer alone. Connor’s Heroes started in 2006 and, since that time, we've grown into a well-respected nonprofit that doctors, social workers, and former patients recommend to families.
In 2014, I’m happy to report that Connor’s Heroes: (1) helped more families than ever; (2) successfully raised sufficient money for our programs; and (3) is one step closer to helping to announce the director of our Connor’s Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. Read on, and you will learn exactly how Connor’s Heroes was there for our Hero families in 2014. You’ll be glad you did.
OUR HEROES
► 50 children were diagnosed with cancer at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU
► 67% of our registered patients were boys; 33% were girls
► Average age of our hero patients was 7 years old
► Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) was the most common cancer diagnosis
► 20 miles was the average distance a family traveled for treatment with some as far as 100 miles (one-way)
OUR FAMILY SUPPORT
► 100% of all pediatric cancer patients at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU received a Heroes Backpack and Parent Tote
► $15,000 in gift cards, free housecleaning, and Christmas gifts to 82 families
► 4,000 free lunches served, with our partner CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation, to families on the pediatric floor at VCU Health System
► $3,000 for funeral expenses provided through the Heroes Angel Fund
Our program directors, Fran and Erin, develop trusting and compassionate relationships with the families who register with Connor’s Heroes. Each family received gift cards for gas and groceries, vouchers for free housecleaning and family portraits, and cards of encouragement. As we learned more about a family, we offered support to ease their burden. Last year, we gave Connor's mom a new stroller to help with hospital visits. Lauren received a rocking chair for her room in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
OUR BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT SUPPORT
► 100% of all the pediatric patients admitted to the transplant unit found their hospital room decorated by CHF volunteers
► Created a Patient Care Journal designed for caregivers to track important information during a child’s treatment
► Maintained the only family room on the ward, the Connor’s Heroes Room of Possibilities, with games, crafts, books, and toiletries
Connor's Heroes knows that the families of children in bone marrow transplant treatment are often isolated from family and friends and need extra support during a very uncertain and difficult time. We are the only nonprofit whom hospital staff relied on to support the emotional needs of those families.
OUR SUPERHEROES AND SIDEKICKS
► 12 people trained as Sidekicks and matched with Superheroes
► 576 hours committed by our Sidekicks to their Superheroes
► 184 patients, families, and volunteers went to sporting events, children’s theater, festivals, and Marvel Universe Live - all organized and paid for by Connor’s Heroes with a generous grant from the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund.
Research shows that cancer not only affects the child in treatment, but siblings share in the burden of the illness. The Superheroes and Sidekicks Program connected community volunteers with siblings and patients who need support, encouragement, and friendship during their family’s cancer journey. Our Sidekicks promised to spend a minimum of four hours every month with the child. It is the only buddy program offered for the siblings of pediatric cancer patients.
OUR HELPING HEROES
► 22 people registered to be a Helping Hero
► 45 volunteers did yard work for four hero families before the holidays
► Developed an online course so volunteers can train to be a Helping Hero when it is convenient for them
You can imagine that a clean house, a decent dinner, and a raked yard are not a priority when you're helping your child through a rigorous cancer treatment. This is why we created the Helping Heroes program. Erin organized a system to train volunteers and get them helping the families as quickly as possible. As a result, we organized more Helping Heroes events than previous years.
OUR FOCUS ON RESEARCH 
► $20,000 donated to the Connor’s Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund
► $8,800 worth of individual gifts designated for Pediatric Cancer Research
The Connor’s Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund is the only endowment at the VCU Massey Cancer Center dedicated to conducting innovative research related to childhood and adolescent cancer. In 2014, Lisa worked closely with Dr. Bruce Rubin, VCU Department of Pediatrics, and Dr. Gordon Ginder, VCU Massey Cancer Center, in the search to hire a nationally recognized physician-researcher in pediatric hematology/oncology. We hope to share the announcement of the hiring of a candidate in 2015.
OUR SPECIAL EVENTS 
► $108,000 raised at The Heroes Art Ball
► $21,500 raised at DiggityFest
► $2,400 raised at glave kocen art openings
► $44,370 raised through CHF partnerships with Team Travis, Heroes Run, Rocketts Red Glare, and local restaurants
Connor’s Heroes had a successful year of raising funds and awareness through events. The Heroes Art Ball raised the most money ever in its four- year history. In September, thousands spent the day listening to family-friendly music at DiggityFest. Throughout the year, service clubs, corporations, churches, social groups, and even Hero families sponsored fund raising events benefiting Connor’s Heroes. Gifts from individuals continued to be an important source of funding with $18,428 raised in one month through our annual campaign, Give Hope.
2014 SUPPORT AND REVENUE
| Total Revenue | $315,657 |
| Corporate, Individual, and Foundation Contributions | $139,198 |
| Special Events | $176,270 |
| Total Expenses | $263,795 |
| Program | $210,684 |
| Administration | $33,763 |
| Fundraising & Development | $19,348 |
2014 Heroes Art Ball Sponsors
Sidekick: Aetna, Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc.
Silent Auction: Kaplan Voekler Cunningham & Frank PLC
Dessert: Scaffolding Solutions
Hero: H.F. Hill, M&T Bank, Mass Mutual Financial Group, Southern Hardwood & Floor Supply, Virginia Business Systems, Whitten Brothers
Backpack: Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Hirschler Fleischer, Hunton & Williams, Mary and Ted Linhart, McGuire Woods, Stoli, VCU Massey Cancer Center
Hero Family: Alliance Group, Apex, Atlantic Bulk Carrier, Corp., Chronic Care of Richmond, Bradley and Mary Jo Dalton, Goodman, Allen & Filetti, The Insurance Doctor, Karen Michael Consulting, Keiter, Romp n' Room, David Word Automotive
Art Patron: glave kocen gallery