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!!

"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!

Something to think about....

Fundraising can be a very public journey.  You are the one who typically can decide how much to share about you and your family, but I bet there have been times when you were unsure how much to say.

I found this post on Love that Max that may be useful as you think about how much you share about your child, not just on a daily basis, but in your funding journey.

When Mom Becomes the Family Fundraiser; An Interview With Tammy Chiasson

Alex and his sisters!

In April I had the opportunity to share a great article on a Truro family who was hosting "A Funny Fundraiser" called Wheels for Alex.  I promised an interview with Tammy so you could get a look behind the scene. 

Thank you Tammy for sharing your journey!

Tammy, tell us a bit about your family. How many kids do you have? Do you work outside the home?

 My husband, Chris and I have 3 beautiful children! Alexander is 12 yrs old and has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Alexander is confined to a wheelchair, and is a very happy out going boy. Alexander is very excited to zip around in his powerchair with his sisters Maddison 9, and Kaileigh 4, racing behind him, on their bikes. Our family is very busy...... we try very hard to bring as much to Alexander as possible, letting him experience and enjoy life to the fullest! Alexander will live the same quality of life as other children his age, with help from my husband and I. My husband works days, and I work nights from 4:30-10 pm. My husband will come home from work at 4:15 and I leave as soon as he gets home. I would love to stay home nights to participate in the evening activities. Unfortunately, with the expenses of our family, and added expenses for adapting equipment, wheelchairs etc I am unable to do so. Even with respite for Alex I am unable to completely leave him. This is an anxiety issue I have dealt with all his life. I feel more comfortable being able to be home, cleaning preparing for the week ahead while he is being cared for. This is what works for our family, and having my husband or myself with the children at all times makes the most sense to us.

 How long have you been investigating a new van?

Last Summer my neighbor and I took our combined 5 children to the beach! I parked Alexander's wheelchair in the sand, because I couldn't push him through all the way. I held under his arms and he walked down closer to the water. We set up our spot for the day with buckets, blankets, and lunch. Alexander had an amazing day, one of his favorite things to do is dig. So he was so happy digging and playing in the water. Lifting and walking Alexander to the water was a big challenge for me because he is getting so big. But I still want him to be able to enjoy the things in life he absolutely "loves"! On our way up to the wheelchair Alexander crossed his legs over (which with his spastic cerebral palsy happens a lot) but when he did this in the sand it caught me off balance, he fell backwards on top of me. Of course he just laughed hysterically, but I was scared! Scared for him, and thoughts ran through my head.....what if this happened on the pavement? I can't have Alexander participate in activities, and me put him at risk of being hurt. This day at the beach really upset me, because I have not dropped him in public before. This was the start of my van fundraiser and vowing to myself that I will get EVERYTHING that my son needs for his safety...................... The following September I started!

Did you apply to Presidents Choice Children's Charity?

I applied to Presidents Choice Charity, and when I received the call from the Truro store I couldn't stop the tears! The store manager said he'd let me get my thoughts together and call back. This is actually happening I thought, and $20,000 is a really BIG deal!!!!


Did you start fundraising for the van prior to hearing back from President's Choice Children's Charity?

September after our beach incident, I started putting things in place for our first fundraiser. I went to a restaurant after work one night to talk to the manager about having an auction, karaoke night. A place was set, then I had to start getting items for our auction, and get the word out there. So I went to numerous businesses, radio stations, and the newspaper.

How did you come up with the idea for a Funny Fundraiser? How much was raised? Did you have volunteers helping you?

One very rare morning in January I was in bed watching TV, school was cancelled so I just layed there watching Breakfast Television until the kids started to stir. I saw Marc Sauve from Funny Fundraisers talking about helping charities raise money. While I was watching, I e-mailed Marc to ask if he would help. I heard back from Marc that night and the second fundraiser was in the works.......

All of the fundraisers were very hard. Being a mom, wife, and working also taking Alexander to frequent appts made things very hard.

We have had an auction karaoke night in October, money jars put up at my work from my co-workers, Wheels for Alex event in April with a comedian, live/silent auction, balloon blitz, 50/50 draw, tables set up at the mall twice. I had friends help me put the baskets together, and neighbors helped get items from their work. The hardest job was going to get all the merchandise and sending the letters to all the companies, which I did myself. I remember sitting up numerous times through the night, not being able to sleep sending letters for the auction. I went through the Truro Chamber of Commerce and hit every company. If there was not an email, I called them to get it. From the Wheels for Alex event we raised $6,050 but we had to pay Funny Fundraisers $1250! Yes, this is huge, but I thought having a comedian would help bring out the crowd, just something different.

What has been the most challenging aspect of fundraising?

Being able to be a Mom, and keep the house in order. I felt so guilty having to sit in front of the computer to reply to e-mails, arrange pick ups and taking the children with me to pick up merchandise. I have spent a lot of time on these 2 fundraisers, I did have some amazing friends who want to help and did a bit, but they have families too, and I felt guilty to ask. So many nights I'd cry, praying for some help, and just a sign for me to keep going....... in the morning when I'd check my e-mails and hear back from another company, I knew this "is" going to work out! I "will" get this van, I need to do what a Mother has to do......provide for their children!

What has been the most rewarding aspect of fundraising for this van?

When I was looking at my e-mails one morning and saw the responses from the companies, I started yelling! "We are going to get this van!" Alexander was on the couch watching TV he said "Mom I love you, I'm so happy we will have a van for me to drive my wheelchair in!" Then every day after he would ask were are you going today Mom? More pick-ups? He was, and will always be my inspiration !!!

Wheels for Alex

Inspiration goes a long way! Here is todays inspiring family. Alex and his parents have focussed on the goal of having a adapted van by May 2011. With this focus, planning, creativity and open and clear communication with their community, they are reaching their goal. Enjoy the article and if you are in the area you may want to attend this "Funny Fundraiser"! After the event I will be interviewing Alex's mom Tammy for this blog. She will share the families results and her wisdom! Wheels for Alex - Local - News - Truro Daily News

Love That Max: Is it wrong to blog about your child with special needs? I say no. Ahem.

Today I am sharing a blog post from our friends at "Love That Max". When I read it I imagined that it may answer many questions that the parents reading this blog may have. If you are considering starting a blog, or already have, you may have wrestled with this question "Is it wrong to blog about your child with special needs?" Elllen, Max's mom is an articulate and experienced writer. Her humour and frank honesty makes her blog one of my favorites. This link shares her insight and opinions. I would love to hear what you think! Love That Max: Is it wrong to blog about your child with special needs? I say no. Ahem.

Rocks in Our Tires



The VanGo Family Fundraising Group capitalized on their natural creativity. 

One mom loves to make jewelry and came up with the idea of making fashionable rock necklaces.  The name and tag capture your attention as much as the necklace!  "Rocks In Our Tires"



With minimal expense and a group effort for assembling the project started rolling!  The price of $10.00 yielded a healthy profit and was a fair price.

The group brainstormed where and how these necklaces could be sold.  Ideas included, markets, local vendors, asking friends and family to sell to their friends and family.

Organization was behind the success of this project.  The assembly of necklaces took organization, but with hundreds of necklaces in stock it was clear a spread sheet for inventory was required.  The spreadsheet outlined what was spent on materials, who had how many necklaces and how much money was returned.

The necklaces have been making their way across the province and have raised a few thousand dollars in a short time.  As important as the money is the exposure to the larger cause: the need to raise money for a van.

The kids get involved in selling too!

VanGo Family FUNraiser!

What do you get when you have three moms, two kids and their wheel chairs, one community and allot of great ideas? The VANGO Family Fundraising Group.

Fundraising for your child's needs is a challenge at the best of times.  Where do you find the time, the ideas, not to mention the fear of not meeting your goals.  How do you know who to ask and where to go?  These are daunting questions when you take on the challenge of fundraising on your own. We all have strengths to contribute to this process, but when you pool your resources with other families, the work load decreases and the chances for success increase.

Early in 2010 I was approached by a family who was about to start fundraising for a van, but was aware through her parent support group that others would be doing the same in her community.  She did not want to compete for the same dollars and asked what I thought of them joining forces. An excellent idea!

Three families met to discuss this option.  The conclusion was that two of the families would be moving forward to fundraiser together and share the sum for their accessible vans.  The third family wanted to wait, but would be volunteering to these fundraising efforts to learn as much as she could and support these families.

All three women are creative and crafty, one brings accounting skills and the other organizations skills.  It was agreed that as the Funding Coordinator for the IWK Pediatric Rehabilitation Program I would coach them in the fundraising process, documenting their successes and challenges so other groups could learn.

Early meetings focused on process.  Who needed how much money and how it would be divided.  A trust account was opened and the families penned an agreement on the administration of the funds.  Lots of brainstorming took place on the message that these families wanted to generate and who should receive that message.

A name was soon chosen that perfectly fit the spirit and the mission of this group.  The VanGo Family Fundraiser.  This was a creative group of parents that were using their skills to move forward.

I would like to share with you, in this blog, this journey and the creative and empowering approach taken by the Van Go family Fundraiser.

Watch for the next post that will feature the first fundraiser "Rocks In Our Tires".

Wheels for Junior...Be inspired by their ride!

The internet and world of blogging provides amazing opportunites for connection. That is the idea of this blog! Inspiring and motivating and letting you know you are not alone on the ride.

I was so thrilled to find Junior and his mom's blog. This is how this family is funding their accessible van. Have a read, follow it regularly, get ideas and inspiration. I was most impressed how Junior is an active part of the families fundraising goals. I can assure you he is not only helping out, but learning alot and having fun!