It's a day late, but want to say.... Happy May Day!

May it be a season of growth!



The Power of Community

This is a family you will likely want to know!  They are the creators of Zack's List.

Zach's family created this website as a resource for families looking for pediatric equipment.  In their own words:

 " With five kids to care for, you may wonder why we are spending time trying to develop a trading post for equipment… instead of sleeping. The answer is simple: we feel strongly that there is no good site for parents to go. We have met other parents with dusty equipment in their basements and garages, that their kids have outgrown and they don't know what to do with. We have met parents carefully saving their pennies and trying to decide which of the astronomically expensive pieces of equipment that have been recommended to them would help their child the most. We have met parents who have thrown away used wheelchairs and walkers that could have been donated for re-use, simply because they didn't know how to pass them on."

You could be part of their community...do you have extra equipment you would like to sell and put towards the purchase of a accessible van?  Are you looking for something that does not need to be purchased new?

Have a look at the website and you will also notice fundraisers in support of "zach's list" as well as a virtual community.

Great, fresh, practical ideas are popping up everywhere!!

Spring. What does it mean to you?



It has been awhile since this space has been updated.  There is no time like a bright, warm day to find inspiration.

Fundraising required a great deal of inspiration, on may levels and from a community of people.  Today I came across this sign and it inspired me. 

- It inspired me to share it with you

- It inspired me to think about what giving to others means to me

- It inspired me to want to pay it forward

What do you think of when you see this sign?  Something special done for you? How it feels to do for others?

Sometimes, the best place to start with inspiration for fundraising is reflecting on the things that matter to you in your day to day life, the things you can do to uplift other people and all the often unoticed things that are done for you.

Enjoy the turn of seasons.  I look forward to continuing to inspire each other!

It is the Season for Handmade Goodness!

Although not about fundraising specifically, it is an inspiring article about kids and creativity...great for Christmas...but just maybe a fundraiser too!

Teaching the Value of Handmade Goodness

Have wonderful and creative holiday season!

Is it teaching or an adventure. Is it both?

Acme Sharing --- Be inspired!
I want to share the above link with you. It is not specific to raising funds for a van, but it is a wonderful resource for showing how giving and gratitude can be a part of our children's daily fibre.

Our children are our future. Their values will refelct how our communities evolve.

The thought of fundraising can be a burden when you look only at the dollar signs, but when you see that it can also be an adventure and a learing experiece for your family, there will be so much more value!

Enjoy the link, I hope you find it inspiring!

"Helping Hannah Hodge Podge Market" An Event to Inspire

This blog is a great forum to share positive experiences from around the province.  I love thinking about fundraisers and how they can be successful, but for readers, it can be quite a different experience.  It is one thing to have the will to do an event, another to pull it together.  Sharing the real life experiences of families, like you, may be just what you need to be inspired!


I would like to introduce you to the Corkum family!  Here is a little bit about their family and their fundraiser.

Q. What was your motivation for doing the fundraiser?

A. Our motivation for doing the fundraiser was basically knowing what we needed to do to accommodate our home for our daughter Hannah. I have been working hard for the past year to figure out her needs for now and in the future with Hannah's Occupational Therapist, along with the costs of all of the renovations we need to do to our home to make it wheelchair accessible. Once we figured out what a total cost was and what funding we could apply to, then we knew how much we as a family needed to raise to make it all happen.

Q. What was the fundraiser?

A. Our Fundraiser was the "Helping Hannah Hodge Podge Market" We had a flea market with live music at Glooscap Centennial Arena. We had flea marketers, a masseuse, the Canning fire department put on a hot dog BBQ, a Sledge Hockey display (Hannah and Josie both play),a silent auction, elephant auction, a bake table and a very large donations to be sold section. We also had a pay pal donation account set up on Facebook for people to make donations.

Q. Did you have a target amount of money in mind?

A. We didn't really have a target amount of money to raise. We were extremely happy with the amount that we did raise. We figured we would raise maybe $1500 to $2000, but we raised $3200!

Q. Were the kids involved? If so, how?

A. Josie was more involved than Hannah. Josie helped me decorate the posters, she helped nail them on poles around the community and surrounding areas ( her and I would go for a drive and she would pick which pole we should put the posters on). Hannah and Josie both helped me one day after school stapling bulletins on the poles in Canning and taking them into the local businesses. 

Q. What did the kids learn from participating in the fundraiser?

A. Hannah basically thought it was a party in her honor, she didn't quite comprehend the whole thing, but she did understand that we were selling things to get her a new bathroom and wheelchair ramp for the front door. Josie was very proud to help in anyway to make her sisters life easier. She learned how happy it made her to help others and what a great feeling it is.

Q. How did the community respond?

A. We had a great response from the community in many ways: advertising, donation of goods to sell, donations for the silent and elephant auctions, donation of tables and chairs for the market from our local Lions Club, locals donating their time to help me set up and sell. Everyone that came to the Hodge Podge Market bought something from the donation table or donated money. The local musicians donated their time to help us too.

Q. What was the easiest aspect of the fundraiser? Most difficult?

A.The easiest aspect of the fundraiser was getting the items to sell on the donation tables. I had closed my antique/vintage shop a couple years ago and I had lots of leftover items from that. My Aunt had recently passed away and my cousin gave me all the contents to sell too.  The most difficult aspect of the fundraiser for me was asking for help, but my husband Dean says packing everything up was the most difficult part for him.

Q. Was using your time to raise funds a good investment?

A. Yes, using our time to raise funds was a good investment. I would do it again in a heartbeat to give my kids a better life!

Back to School: Reading, Writing, Math and Fundraising

I am a firm believer that fundraising is about far more than dollars in the bank or a purchased item.  It is about community, it is about a collective goal and awareness. It is also about learning some really important life skills. A child participating in fundraising (if properly executed) can learn about public speaking, planning, overhead costs, counting money, bank accounts and providing good value.  That may seem like allot of work, but it is natural learning built into fundraising.

School is a natural place for fundraising.  That is, fundraising that is planned and executed with strong learning outcomes. School is your child's community.  It is the place they go to learn .  It is also a place that continually fund raises for a variety of academic needs.  Have your considered fundraising for your child's needs through school?

As part of a tight school community, your child's classmates are aware of physical challenges that require supportive equipment.  Do they understand the illness and how that impacts all aspects of life?  Could they be more aware?

If you are reaching out to the community for your fundraising, don't overlook school.  Take a moment to talk to the teacher or the principal and see if they are open to using a school fundraiser for your child as a learning opportunity. 

You will not only raise funds, but pride and awareness.

Here is an article that may help with some ideas! Fundraising in the classroom