Tag: Charity & Fundraising Posts

The BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is an organization that works to improve the lives of every child who enters and leaves the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. For many families, the BC Children’s Hospital becomes a second home for a period time, often while they are helping a child of theirs get back to help: BC Children’s Hospital Foundation (BCCHF) supports the people, places and things required to ensure BC’s kids have access to outstanding pediatric care. Since 1982, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation has worked with children, families, caregivers and hundreds of thousands of British Columbians to give Children’s Hospital, and the Child & Family Research Institute the resources they need to excel. In 2000, BCCHF merged with the Sunny Hill Foundation for Children (SHFC), which raises funds for the children served by the Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children. The merger enables the two organizations to maximize revenues for […]

I ran across this article this morning about credit card debt, and started trying to figure out what it meant in terms of numbers. Nearly 80 percent of American families have at least one credit card, 44 percent of families carry a balance on their credit cards, and Americans pay about $15 billion a year in penalty fees, according to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s office. The current population in the US is around 305 million (2008 census). I don’t know how many families are in the US, but let’s take a rough stab and there are about three people per family, or around 100 million families. If 44% of those people typically carry a balance on their cards, then we’re left with about 44 million families that carry a balance on their credit cards monthly. So, if we take $15 billion dollars and spread that out over 44 million people, […]

I’ve been lying in bed for about 20 minutes now, trying to slow my brain down enough so that I can finally catch up on sleep. Unfortunately, my mind has been racing ever since blogathon, and it’s been rather difficult to shut it off. While in bed tonight, I started thinking about the day I had today, the people I spent it with, and the events of this past weekend. Like a hiker nearing the end of a long trek, I forced myself to stop and survey the trail from which I’ve come; the moments of exhaustion, the long rainy nights, the hills and the valleys, and the painful blisters that may never fully heal. And while the road has been long, it has been a journey filled with sunsets and sunrises, the scent of fresh mountain air, and nighttime skies where the stars go on forever. The last two […]

As you can tell, this is my last entry. For the last 24 hours, I have essentially been in front of a computer, blogging about various topics that have interested me, and attempting to bring exposure to the realities that the homeless face in Vancouver. Rebecca and I joined forces this year to support the Union Gospel Mission, an organization in Vancouver that helps the homeless and the less fortunate in this city. First, I want to thank the Union Gospel Mission for nearly 70 years of effort with regards to helping others. By comparison, the little that most of us get to do for charity in our daily lives seems rather insignificant. Second, I want to sincerely thank every single person that dropped by and lent some support, either by donating financially, or by supporting the efforts of the bloggers in this city. It seems these days that everyone […]

This is it folks — only two more entries to go after this one. I have, for the most part, been awake since yesterday at 9am. I hit a pretty rough patch this afternoon, but thankfully managed to get through it. It’s been a really great experience, and it’s been a privilege helping bring some awareness to the issues the homeless face in Vancouver. Without a doubt, I’m pretty beat. My supper tonight consisted of peanuts purchased from the little store downstairs. Rebecca and John ordered Greek, but I’ve had so much caffeine that the thought of food basically repulses me at this point. I just poured myself a nice rum and diet coke, a reward for nearly 40 hours of staying awake and blogging. Only two more entries, and Blogathon 2008 will be over, at least for me. Thanks again to everyone who supported our cause, and spent time […]

Duane invited me to guest post on an environmental topic, and since I had already been mulling over the question of privatization of water, I figured I’d do some quick research. Since this is an on-the-fly post and we are both exhausted after more than 22 hours worth of Blogathon, I am not going to do my usual super awesome in-depth research, and I’m just going to point you out to a quick reference page I found. The notion that water is a commodity kind of bugs me because I don’t think we can put an actual price on natural resources. Of course, there is the theory of payment for environmental services, but I am not going to go there right now because I am exhausted and my brain has completely shutdown. But if you think about it, one of the most contentious issues in Canada is that of water […]

Well, there’s only five hours left in my first blogathon. It’s actually been a pile of fun, even though I’m fairly exhausted. I want to give a big round of applause to everyone that’s been a part of this event, especially those that are also nearing the end (and thankfully, get to go to bed soon). There’s a third shift starting tonight at 10pm, so there will be plenty to read tonight. And while the blog entries and those who pen them are obviously to be commended, I think we need to all remember our respective charities, and remember the causes we are all fighting for. While I spent all last night night sitting on my couch writing blog entries, over 1000 people were sleeping outside on a sidewalk somewhere, wondering if someone might steal their belongings in the night, or stressing out wondering where their next meal would come […]

I did a quick tally of all the emails pledge I’ve received from Rebecca’s site, and we’re sitting at around the $400 $450 mark, which is great. Thanks to everyone who has pledged so far. My own personal goal was to try and hit $1000, and we’re doing pretty good so far. There are only about ten entries left, so if you’ve been sitting on the fences waiting to potentially donate, now’s your chance. As I mentioned in my last entry, Matthew Good has also generously donated a signed copy of his last album, Hospital Music, which hit #1 in Canada when it was released last year. Anyone who donates at least $10 is eligible to potentially win it. Also, for anyone that donates $50 or more, you’ll also be eligible for the signed Matthew Good CD, as well as receiving a free 8×12 photo print of your choice from […]

Most compact cameras that you pick up from Future Shop only have one built in lens. In most cases, it’s a zoom lens, capable of giving you moderate wideangle coverage upwards to a decent telephoto lens. Most people probably don’t know the difference between those two, so I thought I’ll give a brief tutorial. The most well known lens is probably the 50mm prime. 50mm refers to the focal length of the lens, and prime refers to the fact that it’s a fixed focal length lens (i.e. not a zoom lens). In photography, the 50mm lens is also called a “standard” lens because it almost exactly matches the field of view of human eye. That is, if you were to look at a scene and then photograph it using a 50mm lens, it would closely match what you saw. Some people call a 50mm lens boring because it doesn’t really […]

A big thanks to the following people who recently pledged support for the Union Gospel Mission Cullen Jennings Wow. To say I am completely exhausted at this point would be an understatement. I’ve essentially been awake since yesterday at 9am. That means I’ve been awake for around 30 hours now. Blogathon ends for me at 10pm tonight, which means I still have nearly eight hours left to go. I’m really not entirely sure how I’m going to make it, but hopefully I get my third or fourth wind soon. This Is Me When I’m Tired I’ve been listening to music rather loudly in my living room, hoping the aural stimulation will somehow keep me awake. Despite pounding back a full 2-litre of diet pepsi today, a coffee, and two energy drinks, I feel like I could just close my eyes and not wake up until tomorrow. I somehow managed to […]