PROGRAMS

Programs
Supporting Families, Fighting Cancer
At Hope & Heroes, we fund the most advanced research and treatments, and comprehensive care not covered by standard insurance plans. Using an integrated, family-focused approach, Hope & Heroes partners with medical professionals and social workers to help families navigate the complexities of childhood cancer care and ensure the best possible outcome for patients, from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.
The Hope & Heroes Special Needs Fund provides financial assistance based on individual needs. We work in collaboration with social workers from member institutions to ensure patients and their families get the help they need during tough times.
Thanks to our generous supporters, we also offer the following services free of charge, so every child has access to the comprehensive care they deserve.
THE ALFANO FAMILY ARTS IN MEDICINE STUDIO
The Alfano Family Arts in Medicine (AIM) Studio is an innovative arts program, first established at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2004. This program is the one of the first in the United States to bring creative arts into a hospital clinical setting. The AIM Studio strives to empower patients, families, and medical workers through artistic expression and play before and during the rigors of treatment.

“I am a big fan of this program. The children truly enjoy the art and crafts that the artists bring to the clinic. The project materials are colorful and varied so that the kids really are free and creative. All of “my kids” have a lot of fun with the activities, look forward to them, and are very much engaged in the activity.”
“When my son needs to come to the oncology clinic, he is not happy. But when he has to come to the clinic on Thursdays—he smiles! He knows he will spend a good part of his time with the “arts and crafts” ladies! This art program makes the unbearable bearable. It makes coming to the clinic fun.”
THE INTEGRATIVE THERAPIES PROGRAM
SURVIVOR WELLNESS PROGRAM
THE VALERIE FUND PSYCHO-SOCIAL & PALLIATIVE CARE PROGRAM
Testimonials
A mother of an 8-year-old girl with spinal glioblastoma:
A 16-year-old male patient with acute myeloid leukemia:
A mother of a 7-year-old boy with a blood disorder:
A foster mother of a 3-year-old diagnosed with M7 leukemia
A mother of Hodgkin Disease survivor on their first visit to the Center for Survivor Wellness:
A mother with an 18-month-old with neuroblastoma:
Your donations to Hope & Heroes directly support our mission to improve the lives of children with cancer and blood disorders.