Posts tagged moms
Day 235: Two Kids, One Lemonade Stand, One Well in Sudan. What Did Your Kids do This Weekend?
May 22nd
Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs on our planet. We make decisions every day that we sometimes question. Are we feeding them the right food? Am I sending them to the right school? Am I teaching them things that will make them grow into a good person. I met two Mom’s, two kids and a school that is teaching their kids just that – to care, to support and to give. Could we ask anything more than that of our children?
Day 235: Give 235
Watch this video featuring to young students and their lemonade stand. Then read this is a letter I received in my inbox two days ago. You decide if you can just stand back and do nothing or if you will step up and support a school of children trying to make a difference.
Hello Friends, I wish to share with you the journey that my darling boy Kai is taking with a small group of committed, compassionate children. The students of Cypress Park Primary (in West Vancouver, BC) are on a mission to build a water well in Sudan. They are coming up with all sorts of creative ways to raise funds. Their goal is to raise $8000 to create safe drinking water in a village in Sudan.
Kai and his buddy Jeremy are selling lemonade this Saturday in Dundarave village from 12-2pm. If you are in the hood, please come enjoy a glass of lemonade by donation!
Kai and his buddy Jeremy are selling lemonade this Saturday in Dundarave village from 12-2pm. If you are in the hood, please come enjoy a glass of lemonade by donation!
If you would like to contribute further to the children’s efforts, please visit: www.obakkifoundation.org
I can assure you every cent of your donation will go towards this project that is deep in their hearts. The founder of the Obakki Foundation is a mom at our school and is responsible for building over 100 wells in Africa. Thanks from one proud mama!
Sarah
Mama of Kai, River & Juma
Mama of Kai, River & Juma
Do I need to say more. This is the generation that is learning to give – right in school. It brings joy to my heart as I believe it will be the next generation that will change the world. Watch the video and let these two beautiful boys into your heart. If there was a day you wanted to give today is that day. Share this story, make a donation, tweet it, Facebook – let’s help these children realize their dream today. Let’s show them that we can come together to make their giving a life time experience they will always remember.
Time Commitment: 5 minutes
Donation: $20.00
Day 217: Great Mom’s that Give Part 3: Bubbles Make Him Smile
May 4th
I recently met my next guest and Mom via the Vancouver Mom site. We are both blessed to be nominated as one of Vancouver Mom’s most fabulous bloggers. Please feel free to vote for us both! Tanaya has a son with autism. I was going to do a post on Tanaya last week during Autism Month but both laughed as we looked at the calendar and it was May 1 when I got her story. I know how this feels I loose track of the hours and days in a second being a Mom. Everyone tells you that you will blink and one day your kids are 18 and heading off to university.
Stories like Tanaya’s are becoming more and more frequent in the news every day. More children are being diagnosed with autism every year. Tanaya and her husband Daniel are remarkable parents that are doing something to give back to autism. They are raising awareness and money to give back every day. I couldn’t imagin the every day challenges of raising a child with autism, but every day they are doing everything in their power to give to autism, to support others and help make their son Bryce understand that he too can do something. We all have a choice to be victims of disease and events that happen in our life or we can choose to be leaders. Thank you Tanaya for giving hope and inspiration to other parents and being that leader.
Day 217: Give 217 by Tanaya of BubblesMakeHimSmile
Giving Back to Autism: Ten year old Fights for Acceptance
While other fourth graders are busy with reading, writing, and arithmetic; Bryce fights to educate the world about Autism.
In June 2003, just before his third birthday, Bryce was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that affects how a person interacts with their world. Bryce has struggled with delayed language, learning, and social skills his entire life. As with most children diagnosed with Autism at an early age, he endured rigorous Early Intensive Intervention (EII). Bryce’s typical daily routine involved visual scheduling, sign language, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral intervention, and various appointments for medical tests and consulting. As Bryce’s parents, we knew very little about Autism and to support his development we attended training programs provided by Autism Community Training in British Columbia (ACT BC) and researched as many treatment options as we could find including, Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), Developmental Individual-Difference Relationship-based (DIR), and Gluten-Free Casein-Free diets hoping for success. Bryce has been developing and progressing throughout the years and is now able to communicate verbally to a degree, attend a mainstream educational institution with his peers, and participate in class activities and events.
“I thought I would have to teach my child about the world, but instead I have to teach the world about my child.” – Author unknown
In March 2010, we created our blog site BubblesMakeHimSmile to raise awareness and acceptance for children with autism, and to raise funds through our Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund to provide Bryce with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). Even though the idea behind the blog originally started out of a need to raise funds for this costly therapy, the website has since blossomed into an online tool for anyone interested in learning about autism, treatments, programs and training, as well as providing an insight into the lives and experiences as people who love someone with autism.
Bryce has become one of our websites most active advocates and has many followers on Facebook and Twitter. Bryce has participated in two World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) events by the Canucks Autism Network (CAN), blew bubbles for Canada Day at Canada Place, and was the inspiration behind a fundraising event called Yoga for Autism.
Every day we are inspired by him.
How he stands up and carries the torch as a voice for other children with autism, and teaches people to value him, his talents, his weaknesses, his strengths, and to appreciate the contributions that he can, and will make, to this world.
Time Commitment: A life time
Day 216: Great Mom’s that Give: Part 2 We aren’t all Sarah McLachlan
May 3rd
Yesterday, I started my special 5 part “Great Mom’s that Give” series in honour of Mother’s Day with super star Mother, Sarah McLachan. Not every mother is a rock star nor has the ability to set up a personal Foundation but it doesn’t mean we don’t all have the ability to do something in our busy lives. This next Mom happens to be my sister-in-law. She wanted to send me a guest post as she had consciously been trying to give more in her life. Her post came timely this week and I wanted to share it. Cat is like me, the every day Mom. She has two young kids, she works and tries to do it all every day. There are times we can give more and times we cannot but we can all find some time to give. This is a great idea for many of us already with children. Truly a gift to give another parent!
Day 216: Give 216 by Catherine Vaugh
Hello GIVE enthusiasts! Thanks to Jacqueline’s blog, I have been inspired to have more charity and giving in my life. Here is my GIVE story to share with all of you.
The Inspiration
My husband and I recently re-located to London, Ontario from my hometown of Barrie, Ontario. Much of my family still live in Barrie so I am still deeply rooted and connected with my hometown and the people I love that are there. In April 2010, my Aunt Ange was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer and was scheduled to have the significant growth removed the first week of May. My Aunt is only 40 years old, is a stay at home of three young children, and I knew she would have a tough road ahead of her. I felt helpless as I was 6 months pregnant, a mother to a 16 month old boy, trying to sell our home in Barrie, and working to physically and mentally prepare for our move to London. There wasn’t much I was able to do for her with my own chaos to be managed, but I vowed to myself then that I would do everything in my power to help later on.
The Give
My Aunt Ange endured two major surgeries and five months of chemotherapy and was declared cancer free in February of this year. When we got the call about Ange being cancer free, we were thrilled. Most people would think that now the cancer drama was over with, there is no need to help them now. However, I have never been more compelled to assist them. My GIVE is the gift of re-connecting. When a couple is enduring a serious illness, you do what you need to do to survive. You put your head down and push through to get to the other side, which is exactly what my aunt and uncle did. They had lots of help from their friends and family from the time Aunt Ange was diagnosed up until she was declared cancer free. Now it is my turn to step in to provide them with the one thing that was threatened – time together with each other! This weekend, my aunt and uncle are dropping the kids off in London to spend Saturday night with me and my family. Chris and Ange will then depart to attend a concert for one my Aunt Ange’s favourite bands, have a good meal and a good night’s sleep in a fancy hotel. 24 hours – just the two of them – spending time together, re-connecting. It is the perfect GIVE for them.
I have lots of fun activities planned for my full house this weekend – a hike on the Thames River trail, make-your-own-pizza dinner, and a mini-soccer game in my back yard. Not only do I get to GIVE my aunt and uncle a chance to re-connect, I am getting a chance to re-connect with my cousins too.
Financial Cost = $0 (nothing extra spent as I have to buy groceries anyways, right?)
Time Spent = 24 hours
Re-connecting = PRICELESS!
What Are you Saying?