Joy And Ink's Hero-Con
FUN EVENT
What is Joy And Ink's Hero-Con?
Hero-Con is Joy And Ink’s post-care grief and wellness support initiative for moms, dads, and siblings.
It builds on our Mini-Hero-Con. Mini-Hero-Cons are held in-house, at the request of Child Life personnel, only at pediatric care locations that partner with Joy And Ink. They provide arts and crafts, wellness support, superhero visits, gaming, and pop-culture fun for pediatric patients and their siblings.
Hero-Con brings a similar experience to family members and is held outside of pediatric care facilities. Hero-Con events are larger than Mini-Hero-Cons and include vendors and sponsors. They also offer volunteer opportunities for family members who want to get involved and help others facing the same situation.
Our Mini-Hero-Cons and patient wellness visits help us build rapport with families. That relationship lets us continue supporting them after care through Hero-Con and our other post-care services. Hero-Con also introduces families who may not yet know about them to our closed grief and wellness counseling sessions with Dr. Dawn Mitchell, PsyD.
ASSEMBLE
Who Attends?
Hero-Con welcomes two groups of attendees.
Post-care families: Families in Joy And Ink’s programming who are grieving or navigating life after pediatric illness attend Hero-Con at no cost. For these families, Hero-Con is part of their grief and wellness support.
Community families: Hero-Con is also open to families outside our programming who want to enjoy the event. These families purchase tickets, much like signing up for a charity run, and every ticket helps fund Joy And Ink’s support services for families affected by pediatric illness and child loss.
FAMILY SUPPORT
Family Emotional Support
Emotional counseling and emotional support for parents, siblings, and families of pediatric patients, including families grieving the loss of a child.
FAMILY SUPPORT
Family Companionship
Companionship, emotional counseling, and emotional support for families of children with life-threatening disorders, during care and through grief.
GROUP SUPPORT
Peer-to-Peer Family Network
Charitable peer-to-peer support networks connecting families navigating pediatric medical trauma, grief, and bereavement.
COMMUNITY
Hero-Con Community Experiences
Charitable pop culture experiences, community gatherings, and shared creative engagement that support healing and emotional wellness for families affected by severe or terminal pediatric illness or child loss.
FAMILY SUPPORT / MENTAL HEALTH
Post-Care and Resilience Programming
Charitable structured post-care resources, community-based support systems, and resilience-building programming that foster long-term emotional wellness for families who have a child with a severe or terminal illness or who are grieving the loss of a child.
FAMILY SUPPORT / MENTAL HEALTH
Family Grief Support Groups
Organizing and conducting support groups for parents and siblings affected by severe or terminal pediatric illness or child loss.
FAMILY SUPPORT
Family Grief Counseling
Emotional counseling and emotional support for families affected by severe or terminal pediatric illness or child loss.
OUTINGS
Family Community Outings
Charitable services providing tickets to community events, giving grieving families the chance to reconnect and find joy together.
GROUP SUPPORT
Family-to-Family Matching
Matching parents and siblings with others who have lived through a child’s life-changing or life-threatening health condition or the loss of a child, for emotional support.