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
A spirited Spirit of Giving during the 2014 Holiday!
We had a generous spirit of giving this holiday season that continued into January. Families surprised us with gift drives for our Heroes Bags and Backpacks. The Wasilewski Family, with help from Chris at the Starbucks located on Brad Mcneer Parkway, delivered us eight boxes with toys! Erin’s car was overflowing with toys, just like Santa’s sled. The Musco Family donated gift cards for Kroger and iTunes - both are popular stores for a family who’s either living at the hospital or isolated at home. The BBYO service group with Weinstein JCC wrote inspirational notes on 70 holiday cards that we mailed to our families. In Connor’s Heroes post office box were cards with beautiful photos of our Heroes looking healthy and happy. If you’d like to turn a birthday party or church event into a giving party for Connor’s Heroes, contact Erin at (804) 897-1272 or erin@connorsheroes.org.
Save the date 2015 Heroes Art Ball
Details & Tickets
May 1st promises to be another magical night for our young heroes, their families, and friends of Connor's Heroes. This is the fifth year of the Heroes Art Ball. In this short time, the Ball has raised over $300,000 for more than 1,000 families who were helped by Connor's Heroes. Won't you join the hundreds of people who care about children with cancer? In the meantime, you can
See photos of our brave Heroes and our guests who enjoyed the 2014 Heroes Art Ball
Join our Facebook Event pagewhere we'll post details on corporate sponsorships, tickets, donations and participating artists.
Christmas Tree Full Of Gift Cards
What a surprise when this crowd of cuties arrived at our office with a beautiful Christmas tree decorated with dozens of gift cards for our hero families! The families of The Woods of Summerford neighborhood collected the cards at their holiday party. You can do the same. Gift card drives are one of the simple ways you can reach out to our hero kids. We need gift cards for gas, Kroger, Martins, Amazon, Target, Wal Mart, etc. Lisa gives them to families when she visits them in the hospital. Whatever you get, mail them to PO BOX 2536, Midlothian VA 23113 or call to stop by our office 804 897-1272. You will give hope to our families.
How A Pair of Jeans Raised $300 For Our Heroes
Thanks to our friends at McGuireWoods Finance, Accounting and Records for hosting Jersey and Jeans Day. They raised $310 for Connor's Heroes, which they will be using to help with "adopting" one of our Hero families for Christmas. Your company can be a hero for area children. You can hold gift card drives, offer to match employees' donations to Connor's Heroes, donate proceeds from a month's worth of sales, sponsor our community events. It's up to you! We are happy to develop a corporate giving program that relects your company's culture. Email lisa@connorsheroes.org or call our office at (804) 897-1272.
Lisa is featured in ConnectVA
ConnectVA is an invaluable resource for area non-profits. For its employees, directors and donors. They featured Lisa as their User Spotlight for this week's entry. You'll learn a lot about Lisa and her passion to be an advocate for children with cancer. Read more... http://https://www.connectva.org/connectva-blog/-/blogs/268047
Help Amazon Smile raise money for Connor’s Heroes
Happy #cybermonday! If you plan on hitting Amazon's website, remember to go directly to smile.amazon.com. Click the logo. Log in w/ your amazon password, select Connor's Heroes as your charity. Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase and deposit into Connor's Heroes program fund. So bookmark smile.amazon.com and start shopping to help our heroes fighting childhood cancer this holiday!
Alcova Mortgage Is Our Hero
Thank you to Eric Craig and Alcova Mortgage. Alcova Mortgage is a company with locations in seven states. Eric Craig volunteered as a Helping Hero and surprised us with a corporate donation of $400. That's enough to fill four Heroes Bags and Backpacks! Alcova Mortgage also believes in a community of heroes. They have a program called Hometown Heroes. Each month, they recognize a veteran at one of their locations with a plaque and $500. Alcova is a great sidekick to have as we work together to recognize our heroes.
Will you GIVE HOPE to Richmond area children fighting against cancer?
This month, Connor's Heroes introduced our "Give Hope" campaign. We are asking you to make a gift that will fund our programs for the coming year. How can you make a difference for our hero families?
$25 gives hope in a basket with a memory box to a family who is grieving the loss of their son;
$100 gives hope to a boy who discovers his hospital room decorated with cartoon characters;
$250 gives hope in a backpack for a teenage girl and a totebag for her parents as they prepare for long stays in the hospital;
$1,000 gives hope for the future by contributing to the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund.
Connor's Heroes has supported close to 1,000 children and their families since 2006. We've grown into a well-respected non-profit that doctors, social workers and other families recommend to parents when they first learn their child has cancer. The gift you make right now will give hope!
Helping Heroes In Action!
Saturday was an amazing day of helping heroes and generous hearts as 50 volunteers spent the morning doing yard work for four of our hero families throughout the area. You can imagine that when your child is battling childhood cancer, in and out of the hospital, raking leaves is not a priority. Yet, yard work nags our parents; especially if guests are coming for the holiday. Connor's Heroes strives to bring a community of heroes to ease our families' burdens so they can focus on getting their sons or daughters well. What better way than having a group of volunteers show up at their door steps ready to help!
Thank you to our volunteers. If you can not volunteer your time as a Helping Hero, you can make a gift to support the Helping Heroes program.
