In like the Lions

Ten years ago, Dominic was the poster child for the Country 105 Caring for Kids Radiothon. A big part of doing that was telling our story publicly, even as Dominic was in the midst of his cancer journey.

Speaking about him is always something I jump at the chance to do, and back then there were lots of opportunities. We spoke at a high-falutin event for Children's Wish, plenty of times on camera for news stories, and again for Helping Families Handle Cancer at an art show. Six months after he died we were on stage in Orlando at Extra Life United.

But the speeches are fewer and further between now. It's more likely to talk about him when a stranger asks if we have any kids, but big groups? It's been years since we did something formally.

So when the Alberta Children's Hospital asked us to help out at the convention for the Lions Clubs of Southern Alberta this past Saturday, I was excited (and a little nervous) for the assignment.

As luck would have it, they put us in the exact same ballroom at the Medicine Hat Lodge where we held our 2022 game day. Only about 40 people came, but they represented a dozen different clubs.

Our message was about how important it is to support the hospital that kids are sent to when their hometown health care systems are unable to handle their critical or unique pediatric cases.

In 2022, 538 kids from Medicine Hat alone accessed ACH care. They combined for 1,335 hospital visits. It's crazy how many people we'll talk to in town who have had to go there.

A handful of the Lions came up to us afterwards to let us know their clubs are donating. One noted that they were going to donate to a couple other charities as well, but after hearing our speech now wanted to give only to the hospital. Our response? NO! Places like Ronald McDonald House, Make-a-Wish, and regional hospitals all need support too. It just so happens that Alberta Children's is our focus, simply because that's what Dominic used the most. There are people fundraising for other causes that are absolutely worth supporting. But if you're looking for a cause to start helping, we know where we'll send you.

PJ's for a Purpose

Speaking of which, and because this aligns with our Extra Life gaming efforts, there's a fundraiser this Friday organized by students at Medicine Hat College you might be interested in. PJ's for a Purpose asks you to wear pyjamas to work or school and donate $5 to the Medicine Hat and District Health Foundation. They want to buy a gaming system for the pediatric ward - I suspect they haven't upgraded the Nintendo Wii Dominic used in 2015, which gives me an excuse to share this video:

 

Plans for the year

As for our charity plans, 2024 has some exciting things in store.

• First off, we've already got the date set for Superhero Night with the Medicine Hat Mavericks. Block off Saturday, July 13! And stay tuned for the merchandise announcement: I'm really excited for this one.
• As soon as that's done we'll be on our way to Kansas City for Extra Life United July 18-21. This will be our first time at ELU in person since 2019. We have a couple things in the works there which we'll bring home as well.
• The #Dominicstrong online auction will take place in September, and we've already got a few fantastic donations - contact either Trish or I if you've got something to give.
• Extra Life's 25-hour gaming marathon will be Nov. 2-3. It'll be a private event again but we're thinking public for 2025 as it'll be the 10th anniversary of Dominic's death.

Similar to our speaking appearances, this blog doesn't get the traffic it once did so thanks if you've read this far! As always, if you'd like to donate to the Alberta Children's Hospital, it's easy to find my page (www.extra-life.org/participant/sean) or Trish's (www.extra-life.org/participant/trish).