News Article

Peace Arch News - Local nurse to lend healing hand in Haiti

Here is a local newspaper article that I was featured in. The fundraiser and sponsors are mentioned. Exciting! Less than 5 weeks now. I am so grateful for the opportunity to go and to be featured in the press.


A brief update on the silent auction. So far I have my two Westjet flight vouches, pedicure from Aru Day Spa, Choices Market is putting together a beautiful gourmet basket, Bikram Yoga-White Rock has donated an unlimited month of yoga, and a piece of jewelry from Creative Cutlery.


After next week is over, the crunch will be on and I'll be pounding the pavement to get as many donations as possible to put some baskets together.

Making New Friends

The team started exchanging emails two days ago, and I'm more excited than ever (is that possible)? I'll share the names of my teammates, where they call home, their professional designation and the number of times they've been to Haiti. I am certainly going to be in excellent company. I was reading some new articles today, and realized that within a few weeks of our arrival in Haiti there will be elections so I am hoping there will be no civil unrest so we can travel, shop and see so many beautiful parts of the country.

Karen Mallet, SLP  (Ottawa, 5 times)
Adrian Schellenberg, P&O tech (Montreal, 4 times)
David Nielen, P&O tech (Montreal, 2 times) 
Karen MacKenzie-Stepner, SLP (Toronto, 8 times)
Caryn Brady, PT (neuro) (Toronto, 5 times)
Gail Buck, Programs and Logistics (travelling to Haiti since 2003)
Elizabeth McDonnell, OT (Fredericton, 8 times)
Sarah Matson, OT (peds) (Dundas, 1st time)
Jeff Campbell
Carlie Gray, PT (peds/neuro) (Montreal, 3 times)
Larua Doyle, PT (peds) (Toronto, 1st time)
Wadson Michel, Psych (Boston)
Gilles Boudreau, WC (Moncton)
Michele Goodsell, RN (Vancouver, 1st time)

I'll keep you posted as to how my efforts go this weekend to obtain some silent auction items.  Apparently I can't post my poster because I can't convert it into a .pdf file, but I'll keep trying!                     

Fundraiser Plans Have Begun

While at work, a wonderful colleague of mine suggested a Pub Night Fundraiser when I posted on Facebook that I was looking for easy ideas to raise more money for TCHH. Thank you Morag, this was truely a genius idea and one that I would have thought would have been far too time consuming for me to pull together this close to my departure.
In the span of two days, I was able to secure a location for the event. Slainte By the Pier and Stanley Park Pale Ale are going to sponsor the event! Laine Henderson will provide the entertainment for the evening. She is a wonderful celtic singer well known by locals. I was able to confirm the date and location before the newspaper article has gone to print so it will be advertised which is fantastic! Tickets have been printed and look great. Posters are almost complete as well. Tickets are $20 each which includes either a beef or halibut burger and a pint or house red/white wine. I will get $5 from each ticket turned in and 100% of tickets purchased but not turned in for food/drink.
Karen has been a wonderful help in sending me photos to be used in the newspaper article, and providing me with sheets she used for her fundraiser. The newspaper wants to do a follow-up story when I return so I'm excited about using my own photos but I appreciate Karen lending me the rights to hers in the interim.
I'm hoping to hold a silent auction and obtain support from local businesses. My plan is to head out to the White Rock Farmers' Market this Sunday and see if I can get some baskets donated. The big donation so far are two Westjet flight vouchers anywhere Westjet flies! I know............ it's awesome! Westjet supports Haiti initiatives that will assist with post-earthquake projects that support self-sustaining mandates. I hope this single donation will make a considerable amount for TCHH.
Again, my friends are awesome! As soon as I posted the fundraiser on Facebook, everyone was eager to help and offer to sell tickets. Thank you to all of you, I really am the luckiest person to have this many extraordinary people in my life and I don't take any of you for granted! I can't wait to have all of you in one place the night of the fundraiser so I can thank you all!

I'll post a copy of the poster this weekend when it is almost complete.

Picture Time

I met with the photographer from the newspaper today. Brian, was great! He had some camera challenges which he stated was due to "outdated equipment" but overall he made it a fairly painless experience and showed me a few picutres that won't horrify me if I see them in print.

I'm going to post a pre-earthquake video of Team Canada Healing Hands and work that has been done.

Interview

So........... exciting news!!
I sent an email to a local newspaper in White Rock called the Peace Arch News advising them that I would be traveling with a team of health care professionals to Haiti in November. I really didn't think that I would hear back from the newspaper, but a wonderful young woman named Melissa contacted me on Wednesday. I met for an interview today and in the next few weeks an article will be go to print. I will meet with the photographer on Monday at work. Hopefully he's really good at his job and can make me look professional.

I'll send the link to everyone when the online article gets posted!

Less than 8 weeks

Not much to report since my last entry.

I have received my last immunization. All that is left now is to receive my annual influenza and H1N1 injections sometime in October. I will have to register myself with the Canadian embassy in Haiti this month as well. I have started thinking about what food I should pack in my bag and how to keep enough space for my clothing. It will be a hard task, and I can imagine that I will be making difficult decisions as to whether I want to wear more clothes or eat some food I won't have access to. I found out that Transat Airlines will only allow one carry-on and a purse so this will further limit what I will be taking with me.

Both my hockey bags are packed, but I still have a few people who are donating supplies. I am quite happy to continue to receive items and if I cannot take them on this trip, I will make sure to take them on my next trip to Haiti. I have included a new list of items that are needed that I have borrowed from Gail Buck's blog.

I have approximately $1,100.00 left to raise, and looking for corporate sponsors as well as easy/quick fund raising ideas. As I am balancing a new job and significant work responsibilities, I don't have much time to plan major events between now and November, but I am hoping that I can successfully raise a minimum of the $3,000.00 goal I set. With any luck, I will raise more and be able to present TCHH with a large cheque that far exceeds what I had hoped to raise.

If you are interested in donating online, PLEASE make sure you indicate that the donation is to support me or it will not be applied to my initiatives. I am missing online donations from people and I believe it is due to the lack of including my name in the Comments section.

I'll take pictures soon of my filled bags and maybe even one of me trying to lift them.

A quick update

I was able to move all the toys that found a home on my living room floor the past few weeks back into my office. YEAH! I have completely packed one of my bags and I was shocked when I weighed it. I thought that 42 lbs would feel less and was certain that I had exceeded my 55 lb capacity. Now I am concerned about how I am going to get these bags to where they need to be. My travel partner will not be coming on this trip as she is going with another organization next week, so I'll be traveling on my own and meeting up with the rest of the team in Montreal. The second bag is 3/4 packed, but I will have to leave some space for my toiletries that cannot come on the plane with me due to new security restrictions. You can get quite creative in packing items into small crooks and corners of these bags to utilize every square centimetre of space!

I am scheduled to get my last needle on Tuesday and then all of my immunizations are done. Unfortunately, the $360.00 I spent on immunizations was not refunded by my insurance, and I got a very small $126.00 cheque from them that is covered under my plan.

My fund raising initiatives are going well due to many amazing people in my life. I found out a week ago that another colleague is supporting me in her facility by putting up a large poster board explaining to residents that I am going to Haiti, the organization that I am traveling with and their mandate. To everyone at the Terraces, and the residents that have supported me, thank you again for your generosity! I am aware that there are many other places for you to donate your money, so I apprecicate you choosing to support me.

Mom has returned to Thunder Bay after an almost month-long visit, and while I am sad to see her go, I also know that I will see her again in December when she will return for another month. We will be heading to Hawaii which is a first time for me and a second time for her.

Just in case some people are questioning how little has progressed since the earthquake six months ago, here are two videos that show the current conditions and with the rainy season coming up, things are only going to get worse!

I will make every effort to keep posting as often as I can before leaving, but time just has a way of passing so quickly these days.