Harrity4Charity 2024 Gratitude and Impact Report
The big difference you’re making for our littlest patients
Continuing Poppy’s legacy of compassionate care
A young cancer patient inspired a lasting tradition at Inova. After 236 days of treatment at L.J. Murphy Inova Children’s Hospital, 5-year-old Poppy used her allowance to buy toys and books, returning to the hospital to share them with fellow patients.
Today, Poppy’s spirit of giving lives on through the generosity of Harrity4Charity. Thanks to your matching funds, we are able to raise vital support for our pediatric patients and programs.
Poppy delivering Legos in 2019
Because of you, we are able to offer crucial services like Child Life Specialists, pediatric patient support, music, art, and pet therapies—ensuring children receive not only expert medical care but the emotional support they need to focus on healing.
Together, we’re building a future where every child has access to exceptional, compassionate care.
Thank you.
A SNAPSHOT OF
Harrity4Charity is making possible
Pediatric Patient Support Fund
Our Patient Support Fund is dedicated to helping patients and families focus on what matters most—healing. These funds offer a lifeline to families facing financial hardship, providing essential support to ease their burden and bridging critical gaps for those with nowhere else to turn. By working closely with our team members, we ensure every child in need receives the help they deserve. Every dollar provided is 100% funded by philanthropy, thanks to donors like you.
Helping children in our community with:
Prescription medications
Transportation to and from treatments - 374 rides for pediatric patients in 2024!
Medical equipment and home health services (IV antibiotics, TPN, medical equipment)
Emergency shelter, rental assistance, help with utilities and removing food insecurities
Baby necessities (pack n’ plays, car seats, breast pumps and milk, swaddles and sleep sacks)
Your impact is felt in every family’s story—milestones celebrated, funerals supported, monthly bills paid, housing secured, prescriptions provided, and lives transformed.
Child Life and Supportive Therapies: Helping Kids Feel at Ease
and Reducing Stress
Your support strengthens our Child Life Specialists, who play a vital role in guiding children and families through their medical journeys. They collaborate closely with the medical team to provide children and their families with comfort, information, and emotional support throughout their care.
From pre-surgical tours and procedural preparations to offering distraction and support during medical procedures, as well as providing medical and therapeutic play, sibling support, and hands-on education about the hospital environment– they’re there for every child and family, every step of the way.
in Action: First Responders repel down the building to visit our young patients!
The sound of healing! In our pediatric building, we have one full-time music therapist, Mariagracia, also known as MG. Music therapy is a vital component of the psychosocial support we provide to patients and families during their inpatient stay at Inova Children’s, made possible by the generosity of our donors.
Nearly
music therapy visit in 2024 at Inova Children’s Hospital
See the difference! We’ve introduced MRI movie goggles as a nonanesthetic solution for children undergoing MRI scans. This innovative tool helps our team assess whether anesthesia is necessary, making the process smoother for families and improving patient outcomes. Your support in providing this technology is creating more positive, less stressful experiences for our young patients.
Superheroes
Do. More. Together.
Transforming care for every child
At Inova, we believe in the power of collaboration to deliver exceptional healthcare. With our firstever comprehensive fundraising campaign, Do. More. Together., we aim to raise $500M over the next five years to elevate the highest quality care, close to home. Powered by philanthropy, this campaign is focused on four initial key pillars: Cancer, Heart and Vascular, Behavioral Health, and Inova’s Greatest Needs.
Your contributions go far beyond toys and books—they help fund critical campaign initiatives like our world-class pediatric oncology and cardiology programs, the renovation of
our Fairfax emergency department to create a dedicated pediatric entrance, expanded children’s services across all Inova locations and vital behavioral health support for adolescents and teens. Together, we are ensuring that every child receives the compassionate, expert care they deserve.
Investing in our children’s health and well-being is investing in our future.
Our digital activity wall in our new Inova Fairfax Hospital Emergency Room dedicated children’s reception area.
Your generosity is changing lives
When a 20-week ultrasound showed excited, expectant parents that their baby’s heart had not developed as expected, they started an emotional
journey of fear, hope and ultimately, triumph. Well in advance of Vinnie’s due date, Inova teams got to work developing a plan for his birth. With meticulous preparation, detailed plans were already in place to keep him alive until he was strong enough for heart surgery. All the necessary monitors and expertise were available in the neonatal intensive care unit. Vinnie had major open-heart surgery at only four months old, sailing through with a remarkably short recovery time and no complications. Now he’s a smiling toddler with a bright future!
Every child deserves the caliber of care that Vinnie received and access the latest, most advanced technologies. Donor support helps provide these extraordinary resources at Inova.
At the age of three, Zachary was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. What began as a routine pediatrician visit for
fatigue quickly turned into an ER visit, followed by the heartbreaking words no parent ever wants to hear: “your child has cancer.” This news set the stage for a two-year journey of weekly chemo treatments, hospital visits, and countless hours of prayer. While most children his age were attending preschool, Zachary spent his first year of treatment at home, with only his brothers and a few close friends as playmates. Over the course of his treatment, Zachary underwent 168 chemotherapy sessions, spent 39 nights in the hospital, and received 18 transfusions from generous blood donors.
Thanks to the pediatric oncology team at Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital, Zachary has been cancer-free for over a year now! Their dedication to research and care, and your unwavering generosity are helping pave the way for a future free from childhood cancer.
With the support of our community, Inova
L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital delivers top-tier specialized care for our youngest patients. Take Asher’s story, for example. Asher was rushed to Inova’s Emergency Department battling acute respiratory distress after a severe choking incident involving
strawberries and nuts. Thanks to the quick action of our pediatric team, he was placed on ECMO— a heart-lung machine that took over his heart and lung functions. This life-saving intervention was critical for Asher.
Thanks to the generosity of our community, life-saving interventions like ECMO are made possible.
Thank you, Harrity4Charity, for everything you make possible at Inova and throughout our community.
Your support is helping create a brighter future for children everywhere.