Today, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada - Saskatchewan Chapter invited author Dave Driver (who happens to be our son as well) to speak to a luncheon of health care workers at the Regina General Hospital. Dave is the author of SuperMom and the Big Baby ... and DriverWorks Ink is donating a portion of the proceeds of each SuperMom book sold to Children's Wish Saskatchewan.
The audience members were folks who care for pediatric patients, including those children who have life-threatening conditions and can be referred to Children's Wish to make a wish of theirs come true.
It's a pretty noble profession and a pretty amazing charity.
Wishes have included trips to Disney World, special vacations, meeting a favourite celebrity or sports hero, purchasing snowboards or hockey equipment or the latest in stereo and video games technology. Families are included in the wishes and that has to make everyone feel a lot better!
Saskatchewan Chapter Director Gay Oldhaver (above right) spoke to the group about some of the fundraisers held by the Foundation, including a golf tournament and the fun-based Exile Island, a new adventure/venture for Regina-area folks but one that has happened in Saskatoon for a few years and raised $203,000 in 2012! Good job, Saskatoon!
(Here's a story by the Regina Leader-Post's Emma Graney about her involvement o-n the media team in Regina this year.)
Wish Co-ordinator Stacey Driedger (left) and Chapter Director Gay Oldhaver (seated centre) spoke to the group about the details of granting wishes. They also thanked them for their referrals of sick children and answered questions about the Children's Wish Foundation in general.
DID YOU KNOW?
- The average wish costs $10,000.
- The Saskatchewan Chapter is granting about 50 wishes a year but could double that amount if the funding was there. (Sadly, that's a lot of very sick children in a province of one million, isn't it?) Funding comes from corporate donations and fundraisers.
We watched a video produced by Children's Wish Foundation. In it, a physician who works with sick children said: "I can treat these children but I want to heal them ... take them beyond the pain to hope." Another health care worker in the video said she loves what she does for a living. "It gives you a perspective of what a bad day is."
Here's an inspiring music video that I learned about today. It's the Saskatchewan group Foxx Worthee singing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah - raising money to help a little boy named Nixon get the health care help he needs. You'll be hearing more about their connection to Children's Wish Foundation in the coming months.
And now back to our particular involvement with Children's Wish Foundation....
As mentioned, DriverWorks Ink donates to various charities from the sale of many of our books. When we asked Dave Driver, our son, if there was a particular charity that he would like us to consider with the publishing of his children's story SuperMom and the Big Baby, Dave chose The Children's Wish Foundation.
Dave and his wife (SuperMom - the woman whose sleep-talking phrases appear in Dave's funny children's book) have a niece who has received a wish from the Foundation. This niece is a very special person. Dave and his wife have seen the joy she experiences every time she gets into the swimming pool that Children's Wish provided for her. Thank you, Children's Wish Foundation. We will do our best to repay the gift.
So Dave shared his book and the story of his niece with the health care workers at Regina General Hospital.
She told us that she is the person who referred Dave's niece to Children's Wish Foundation.
We were speechless - which doesn't happen often.
She told us, 'You came here today for a reason. It was meant to be."
That happens a lot to us in what we do.
Pretty amazing.
Thanks again, Gay, for inviting Dave and me to the event today. It made our week... and more.
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