Today's Helping Hero: New Day Equine Therapy
Since 2019, New Day Equine Therapy in Ashland offered horseback riding lessons for our hero families. Thanks to the support of your donations, our hero families could take lessons for free through Connor’s Heroes. Bruce believes in the therapeutic power of caring and bonding with a beautiful horse to help a cancer patient. We started the program in May 2019 and continue to offer horseback riding lessons during the pandemic. Bruce shared these pictures of three of our hero families who are currently taking lessons. By the looks on their faces, the kids (and parents) are having a great time.
Today's Helping Hero: RiverFront Investment Group
Today’s Helping Hero is a local investment company who will have a big impact on the lives of our childhood cancer heroes. RiverFront Investment Group announced Connor’s Heroes as their 2021 Charitable Giving Partner. The partnership includes a $25,000 donation and a commitment to volunteerism throughout 2021.
In a press release announcing the grant, Kaetlin Collins, RiverFront’s Charitable Giving Committee Chair, said “During the COVID-19 Pandemic we were reminded of the impact RiverFront can make in our local communities. When looking for a 2021 partner, our associates turned to those non-profits that had found ways to adapt in 2020 to continue to serve those in need. The partnership with Connor’s Heroes was exciting because it gave us the opportunity to volunteer in a variety of ways both virtually and in person. We are so excited to be working with Connor’s Heroes and are looking forward to helping local families during their childhood cancer journey.”
You can learn more about RiverFront and its commitment to philanthropy on their website: www.riverfrontig.com
Connor’s Heroes can thank our caring families for making this grant possible. Erin asked families to share testimonials and photos of how a Connor’s Heroes Bag and Backpack helped their child at the initial days of treatment. Celia included the faces and stories of our brave childhood cancer heroes in her presentation. Obviously, their appreciation moved the employees of RiverFront.
If you watch local news, two television station’s are covering this exciting news.
www.wric.com
www.wtvr.com
ABOUT RIVERFRONT: RiverFront Investment Group is a global asset manager focused on
Process over Prediction — a dynamic investment approach driven by a systematic, repeatable
methodology. The firm provides flexible, risk-managed solutions for a range of investment
objectives and risk tolerances. RiverFront Investment Group, LLC (“RiverFront”), is a registered
investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration as an
investment adviser does not imply any level of skill or expertise. Any discussion of specific
securities is provided for informational purposes only and should not be deemed as investment
advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any individual security mentioned. RiverFront is
affiliated with Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (“Baird”), member FINRA/SIPC, from its
minority ownership interest in RiverFront. RiverFront is owned primarily by its employees
through RiverFront Investment Holding Group, LLC, the holding company for RiverFront. Baird
Financial Corporation (BFC) is a minority owner of RiverFront Investment Holding Group, LLC
and therefore an indirect owner of RiverFront. BFC is the parent company of Robert W. Baird &
Co. Incorporated, a registered broker/dealer and investment adviser. Learn more at
riverfrontig.com
Today's Helping Hero: Savanna
Savanna and her family have been part of our community of heroes for a long time. Now her friends and family who participated in the Game Drive are part of this amazing community. Thank you Savanna for your enormous heart and passion to give back to other childhood cancer heroes!
— Celia, Executive Director
Our Helping Hero — Savanna — is at it again!
Savanna was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 8 in 2014. She underwent months of chemo, radiation and ultimately a bone marrow transplant. Today Savanna is post-treatment. She always thinks of the kids who are still in the fight. Savanna has given back to her childhood cancer heroes through her fundraiser: SAVANNA’S GIVE BACK, GAME DRIVE. Savanna has stocked the Room Of Possibilities on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, filled Connor’s Heroes Backpacks, and filled our Connor’s Heroes Fun Packs.
She picks the things a child battling cancer would love during long stays in the hospital or for a fun night with family at home. Over the past five years, Savanna collected and donated more than 1,700 games, toys, and items for her Annual SAVANNA’S GIVE BACK, GAME DRIVE.
There were so many boxes, your donations turned our conference room into a warehouse full of fun.
Follow Savanna’s Annual Game Drive on Facebook. She will open the packages she received and post the videos on Facebook. (It’s called unboxing and it is really fun to watch!!)
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=700607057243766&id=277487739555702
Learn more about Savanna in this recent profile written by the older sister of another childhood cancer hero, Lauren. https://3103869.wixsite.com/purpleperspective/post/savanna-smiles?fbclid=IwAR1CKwZwvFxBDrerezuFHy1z24cRSevCQT0WDJ9QiX-FICIAEYYeMhZKRwg
2020 Holiday Heroes
On Tuesday, we had our annual holiday party for hero families who are in active treatment. This year, like everything, was a different. So, we turned our party into a Holiday Drive-Through. We don’t know who was more excited to celebrate — Connor’s Heroes or our wonderful families?!
Celia, Erin, and Ceci set up a holiday party outside with lights and incredible balloon decorations. Cars started rolling in and continued throughout the day. We loaded up a family with gifts for each hero and their siblings, a Holiday Fun Pack (filled with everything they needed for a driving tour of Tacky Lights in Richmond) gift certificates for a pizza dinner at Mellow Mushroom, and cake pops baked by a small business owned by a hero mom.
Thank you to all of our wonderful partners who made this holiday season so special for our hero families!
• MassMutual employees’ donations allowed Connor’s Heroes to individually pick out a gift for each hero and sibling who attended.
• The Richmond Christmas Mother grant helped provide our Holiday Family Fun Packs.
• Mellow Mushroom Midlothian generously donated the gift certificates for a yummy pizza dinner.
• Shaqueenia at QT desirez baked the delicious cake pops.
• Peach Perrychute for the balloon directions which lead the way to our parking lot party.
• Our generous supporters who donated enough so we could provide financial support to EVERY family who has a child in active treatment. 94 families received a $250 VISA gift card thanks to our Holiday Heroes Fund.
Thank you to our board members who helped us pass out holiday goodies to our hero families. Pictured with Celia are Carrie and Gwendolyn.
From 2019, our Holiday Open House and Tacky Lights Tour. Thanks to your generous donations throughout the years, we will make sure every child has a happy holiday!
Fall Photo Session
Longtime friend of Connor’s Heroes, Kristin Seward donated her time and talents as a photographer to give our hero families a special keepsake. Realizing families might want a family photo for their holiday cards, but may not feel safe going to a studio, Kristin came up with the brilliant idea for a pop-up photography session. We scheduled socially distanced photo sessions in beautiful Bryan Park. We all treasure a beautiful portrait of our family. To a family who has a child in treatment for cancer, a family photo is even more special.
Thanks Kristin for being our hero! Scroll through the gallery of photos for a sneak peek at these special portraits!
📸 Credit: Kristin Seward Photography
Kristin Seward is one of many local businesses who support Connor’s Heroes by donating their services and products. Please thank them by supporting their business.
Today's Helping Hero: Dominion Chiropractic Clinic
Dr. Bradley Richmond at Dominion Chiropractic Clinic loves to provide care to our hero families. We are grateful for our continued partnership with their team and truly appreciate their dedication to helping our families throughout their cancer journey! If you work for a company and feel called to donate your services to our hero families, please email admin@connorsheroes.org.
Dominion Chiropractic Clinic is one of many local businesses who support Connor’s Heroes by donating their services and products. Please thank them by supporting their business.
Today's Helping Hero: Jill's Blankets
Jill’s Blankets is a local nonprofit created in memory of Jill Ward. Jill loved making blankets for cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy. Her friends are carrying on Jill’s legacy by making warm and comfy fleece blankets. We call on Jill’s Blankets when we need a supply of blankets for our childhood cancer heroes. It is always a treat when the crew from Jill’s Blankets shows up at our office with an armful of blankets. We are grateful for their volunteerism.
Emmett's iPad
Because of your donations, every childhood cancer hero (no matter what age!) will discover an iPad in their Heroes Bag and Backpack. Emmett is not even one year old. He was born in March 2020. Four months later, in July, he was diagnosed with a rare syndrome. This little fighter spent his first year in this world on the adult Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in treatment. Thankfully, he was not alone. Emmett and his mom stayed in touch with the family using the iPad in Emmett’s Connor’s Heroes backpack. Emmett used the iPad to stream his favorite programs, passing the long days in the hospital. He played peek-a-poo from his hospital bed with his older sister, Breyanna, who was at home. His other sister, Eden, was a hero too. She was the donor for her baby brother.
The Heroes Bag and Backpack was our first program when Connor’s Heroes started. Today, Emmett’s Heroes Bag and Backpack brought joy to him during a tough time. Follow our timeline from the first Heroes Bag and Backpack given to a child in the hospital to the array of support we offer families today.
Today's Helping Hero: ESE Masks
ESE Masks is a non-profit organization created by three high school students (Emily, Shraddha, and Estelle). These teen titans sewed face masks and sold them over the spring and summer. They took their profits and turned them into a very generous donation to support our childhood cancer heroes. Kids helping kids! ESE Masks is another reminder of how easy it is for YOU to be a hero to a local child with cancer.
We have many more Helping Heroes. Subscribe to our enewsletter, Heroes & Hope, to learn about our childhood cancer hero community and the families who are part of Connor’s Heroes.
September's Giving Moments
Thank you for making Childhood Cancer Awareness Month so special for all of our heroes — no matter where they are in their cancer journey.
Cancer hasn’t stopped during the pandemic and neither has Connor’s Heroes. Scroll down to see how you were hero for numerous families during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. There is still more to be done for the remainder of the year. You can make sure giving moments continue throughout the year. Donate to Connor’s Heroes. You can give a single gift or give every month.
