H.E.R.O. for Children, Inc.| September 2021 HERO Newsletter

SEPTEMBER 2021

Improving the quality of life for children infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS through enriching programs, unforgettable experiences, and connections to the community.

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H.E.R.O. VIRTUAL PAINT PARTY

On Saturday, August 28^th, HERO hosted a virtual paint party for our clientele. Before that date, art supplies were shipped to everyone that signed up for this event. Additionally, registrants were provided with an example of what we would be painting, as well as preparation instructions and tips. Our selected picture was entitled “Twilight Hill,” which depicted trees on a hill at night. We did not take the easy route and follow a paint-by-numbers option – no, siree! Our amateur artists endeavored to recreate Twilight Hill from scratch, with the guidance of our Instructor, Simone. Simone walked us through mixing primary colors to create others, and layering paint on canvas so as to build up towards the final illustration. She also shared valuable art advice along the way, such as methods of blending shades and creating branches on trees. Some of our participants followed her directions to the letter, while others made slight alterations to produce their own versions of the model image. During our session, HERO staff took the opportunity to catch up on our children’s lives, discussing topics such as family and adjustments to returning to school. This was a fun, relaxed activity that allowed participants to express their creative sides while interacting with one another. Thanks to Paint the Town and our Teacher, Simone, for facilitating an ‘afternoon of art’ for our HERO children.

CAMP HIGH FIVE 2021 UPDATE

As you are aware, the COVID- 19 pandemic has taken another turn this summer, and cases throughout the country have spiked again. The numbers have increased 25-fold in Georgia since mid-June. Therefore, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the October camp session this year.

A year ago, the virus was primarily impacting our seniors and those with certain health conditions. However, this summer, healthcare staff are seeing significant increases in children admitted to the hospital and intensive care units with COVID-19 in Georgia and neighboring states. The number of pediatric COVID-19 cases is increasing every day.

As vaccination, mask-wearing and social-distancing go a long way toward stopping the spread of viruses, we initially thought to fully enforce these safety measures and proceed with our long weekend. However, with the presence of the easily-transmitted Delta variant and the fact that children under 12 cannot be vaccinated, we realized that strict guidelines such as wearing masks in the cabins at night would be unreasonable to ask. There may be campers and staff who are particularly at risk for serious COVID-19 infection due to health conditions. We have also considered the fact that in the unfortunate event a camper is infected, but does not have symptoms, they can still carry the virus home to family members at risk for serious illness. Knowing that flu season is right around the comer, this added another layer of worry about bringing everyone together for the long weekend.

Our healthcare staff continue to encourage everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as this is THE BEST way to stop the spread of this virus so we can get together again. We are deeply saddened by having to make this choice, but believe it is in the best interests of the health and safety of our HERO children, staff, volunteers and their families.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

VIRTUAL TUTORS NEEDED

H.E.R.O. is openly recruiting volunteer tutors to assist our students in the areas of math, science, social studies, language arts, and reading. We would prefer volunteers who are at least 25 years old, and have prior teaching/tutoring experience. If you are interested, please email our Match and Development Coordinator – Nadia Eliacin – at nadia@heroforchildren.org.

BECOME A SUPER HERO MENTOR

The Super HEROes Mentoring Program is a community-based, one-on-one mentoring program serving children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. The program provides these children with the opportunity to have a positive role model through a mentor and to strengthen their life skills, self-esteem, communication skills, goal-setting and academic performance.

Volunteer mentors needed to:

Spend one-on-one quality time with a child at least twice a month, a minimum of two hours each time (virtually during the pandemic).
Participate with the child in a bi-monthly group activity organized and sponsored by H.E.R.O. for Children (virtually during the pandemic).
Be a positive role model for the child.
Contribute to strengthening the child's self-esteem, social adjustment and life skills.

Learn More

UPCOMING EVENTS