Auction 2025: Get the word out!

 

The #Dominicstrong online auction has arrived, and while it's smaller than last year, it's still got a whole lot to bid on.

We've got 96 items in the new album on the Facebook group, which is where the bidding happens in the comments of each photo. But many include duplicates or even triplicates of the same item, meaning the top two or three bidders will win. If you count those we're easily over 100 things donated as we raise even more money for the Alberta Children's Hospital and the amazing work they do for kids not just in southern Alberta, but around the world.

It's always stressful getting enough items donated, photographed, descriptions written for, and posted. But the truth is, the other important part comes now. At 5 p.m. Sept. 26 the auction opens, and the more bids before Sept. 28 at 5 p.m., the more money raised.

That means the more eyes we can get on it, the better. But we haven't done a lick of local media this year, a first in the 11 years of the auction. Not going to lie, we mainly just didn't have time. Life is busier than usual this year.

That means we need your help, badly. It's great if you'd like to do some bidding, but there are always items that only get one or two bids. That's lost opportunity for the hospital in my mind. Don't be shy, text friends who aren't on Facebook and tell them to log back in, if for only one weekend!

The hospital itself has again donated items! So have many of our long-time donors, from Antonio's Pizza to Courtyard Dental. Friends like Anna Mast and Trevor Prosser. There are literally hundreds of you who have come up with amazing items every year.

Then there's the newcomers, like Trish's employer EBT Chartered Accountants. They've got a box suite at a Tigers game, principal Hayden Beck helped us get Natalie Long's word art logo on a couple special items, and the support goes so much beyond what you'll see this weekend.

We do this all in Dominic's memory, yes, but also for all the other kids who get treated there. One cancer survivor we know had school friends write his name down for who they ran for in the Terry Fox run this week. All the money we raise goes to help anyone who uses the children's hospital so please, let's make a difference (and get yourself some goodies while you're at it)!

Reminder, please read the auction rules before participating! They're well-established, and haven't changed in a decade. Any questions, contact Trish or I!

Breaking records

 

Well, we did it! The grand total for the 2024 #Dominicstrong auction is $11,727 - the most we've ever raised in a single event.

It took so much behind the scenes work to pull off, and was not without its challenges.

Planning actually started last year, when one organization informed us that a month's notice was not long enough - so I asked for the next year's auction and they said yes. Then a news story prompted one woman to donate five huge, framed Ducks Unlimited prints. We had a pretty good head start.

Procrastination is a strong point of mine, so it's common that we only start asking for auction items a month out. This year we got going six weeks ahead of the auction, which was a huge help. It gave time to come back to potential donors and not seem pushy, and as a result we got new donors involved.

Our friends rose up, too. Krista, Nicole, and Kelsey all found donations, with Kelsey getting the feature item, a cornhole board adorned with the iconic #Dominicstrong word art thanks to a donation from City Signs and Canvas Shop.

It was all setting up to be a record. In 2017 we raised $10,921, but crossing the five-figure mark has proved difficult in recent years. It's OK - we aren't going to do this forever, and every penny helps. But all the new energy this year - spurred in part by going to Ignite/Extra Life United in Kansas City - definitely helped.

So now what?

Well, we've had a fantastic year with Superhero Night, Ignite/Extra Life United, and now the auction. But Extra Life's main event is the 25-hour game day, and that's happening Nov. 2-3!

Similar to last year, we're doing our marathon as a private event. It's basically a big house party, and we live-stream the whole thing on my Twitch channel (@gomerstraw). As always, we'll take donations to roll the 20-sided dice and do whatever crazy thing we assign to each number. I can also tell you we'll have some great prizes to give away to donors this year - stay tuned to our Facebook page and a game day blog post right here for details.

Thanks for your support! Heading into 2024 we'd raised US$244,254.52, and if you include where we're at today our total is beyond CDN$350,000. We couldn't have done it without you.

Auction 2024: Generosity

 

Get ready to bid! It's hard to believe this is our 10th annual #Dominicstrong auction, but what we have in store is definitely worthy of a major milestone.

From small, handmade gift cards to huge items like barbecues and ladders, we're always amazed at people's generosity.

Tracey, for example, has made dozens of cards, gift bags, and tags each of the past few years. The amount of time she must put into it is immense.

Sarah hand-glues beautiful beads to a travel mug, and spent upwards of 12 hours doing so to make a thumbs-up pattern.

I mention our auction to Brandon, and he goes and gets a huge multi-compartment cooler from his business.

Kelsey takes the iconic word art logo that Natalie made for us years ago, goes to another business which then donates a custom vinyl wrapping on the cornhole boards she bought. It is so amazing.

These are just a few of the stories behind this year's auction. 

In all, this is our biggest auction ever. There are 124 items, but a bunch will have multiple winners. The actual total of items is 137 - and as usual my biggest worry is having enough people to bid on all of it.

Don't be shy, share this blog post or the link to the group or auction album please! Every penny we raise goes to the Alberta Children's Hospital by way of our Extra Life pages.

We'll be live on Facebook to kick off the auction, then live again once or twice during the weekend to provide updates.

The specifics

To be safe, I'm going to post the auction rules here. For those new to the auction, it's run off our Facebook page, #Dominicstrong. On the group you'll see the featured posts, including the long one with the rules and a link to the auction album itself.

Every picture in the album is an item. You bid in the comments! Remember, bidding starts at 5 p.m. Mountain time Friday (Sept. 27) and ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29. Any time stamp with 1700 Sept. 29 on it or later is ineligible.

There are starting (minimum) bids for every item, and bids have to be at least $1 higher than the previous high bid.

Once it's all over, we go in, tell the winners they've got 24 hours to pay, then get to the process of delivery/pickup of auction winnings.

My parents are driving in from Calgary and can therefore bring winnings back to the big city for anyone who wants them to. Otherwise, you've got to arrange pickup/delivery with us, at your cost. I'll happily ship something to Turkey, but I ain't paying for it!

In the news

Thanks to Collin at the Medicine Hat News who wrote this story about the auction.

Auction 2024: Can we count on you?

 

When the Dominicstrong auction first took place, everything was a blur. He'd only been gone a month; his room still had his things in it, and the grief was fresh. Friends were helping organize it all, and it was a lot of work just to keep up with all of the offers coming in.

The auction has changed a lot. It's rare (but still wonderful) when someone comes to us with something, but for the most part it's us going out and contacting prospective donors. If you didn't donate last year, we're not going to bother you this year unless you specifically told us to remind you.

Results don't lie, and the auction has brought in nearly $10,000 a year. But every year at this time I'm stressing because our Facebook group isn't getting much reach.

So here we go: This year's auction runs Sept. 27-29, 2024, and it's the 10th one we've done! Dom would be turning 12 this year. As we always say, it's how we parent a child who's no longer here.

Would you, someone you know, your employer, or a business you frequent be interested in giving something? We are ridiculously easy to get a hold of: email donations@dominicstrong.com or message Trish or Sean on Facebook. We've even uploaded the official 2024 request letter PDF if you'd like to download and use it.

We don't have much time to get this rolling. The auction is basically a month away, and we have to catalogue, photograph, write descriptions for, and post all of the items. The deadline to get something in this year's auction is Sept. 20.

Thanks so much for your support. It means the world to us, but more importantly to the kids who use the hospital.

Auction 2023: Generosity, love, and a bit of retail therapy

Welcome to the ninth annual #Dominicstrong online auction in support of the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Every year I get stressed about whether we'll have enough items, and every year donors come through.

Every year I worry we won't have enough people to bid on the items. I'm doing it now. And every year, they do. I really should worry less.

This year's auction started off with a bang. I got a call from a fellow I'd known when he wrote a bowling column for the paper. His son, an adult with autism, had grown disinterested in a bike built for two they'd bought, and they wanted to donate it.

Well, it wasn't just any bike built for two. It was a quadricycle that looks more like a golf cart and goes for $3,000 new.

You won't see that item in the auction, as he sold it last week and intends on donating the proceeds.

What you will see is 108 items - a handful of them double items where the top two bidders will win - ranging from handmade cards to a month-long hot tub rental.

Every donation, whether it's in the auction or not, no matter how big or small, helps.

Even though the hospital's operating budget is more than $40 million, I like to think what we're doing matters somehow.

At the very least, it matters because Dominic mattered. And we don't just do it for him. I visited a restaurant in Airdrie this week with a donation box out for a girl with cancer. She's being treated at the same hospital that Dominic was at. I think of the kids we met at Superhero Night this year being treated there. I see a plane take off from the Medicine Hat airport and think of when we flew in one to get to the children's hospital.

We may be a drop in the bucket but over the years we've raised more than $300,000. That's more than a drop. And it happens one bid increase at a time.

So please, take advantage of the great deals to be had this weekend, for sure. But if it's a $50 gift certificate for a place you'd shop at anyhow, consider adding another $5 to your bid because it's a good cause. And know that every person who donated, created, or gave something up did it because they cared.

Thank you, all of you. You make this thing work. You're what keeps us coming back to spend dozens of hours every year putting it together and running it.

The specifics

To be safe, I'm going to post the auction rules here. For those new to the auction, it's run off our Facebook page, #Dominicstrong. On the group you'll see the featured posts, including the long one with the rules and a link to the auction album itself.

Every picture in the album is an item. You bid in the comments! Remember, bidding starts at 5 p.m. Mountain time Friday (Sept. 29) and ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1. Any time stamp with 1700 Oct. 1 on it or later is ineligible.

There are starting (minimum) bids for every item, and bids have to be at least $1 higher than the previous high bid.

Once it's all over, we go in, tell the winners they've got 24 hours to pay, then get to the process of delivery/pickup of auction winnings.

My parents are driving in from Calgary and can therefore bring winnings back to the big city for anyone who wants them to. Otherwise, you've got to arrange pickup/delivery with us, at your cost. I'll happily ship something to Turkey, but I ain't paying for it!

In the news

Two of our local media sources have done stories on the auction this year, and of course in Canada right now you can't post news links on Facebook. So here they are!

Children's hospital fundraiser honours memory of local boy (Medicine Hat News, Sept. 26)

Thumbs up: #dominicstrong auction this weekend (CHAT News Today, Sept. 29)

An auction, a store, then another auction

 

Well there you have it: The 2022 #Dominicstrong online auction raised $9,407!

But that's far from the end of this year's fundraising story. Actually, I kind of want to get past it as soon as possible.

That's not to say the auction wasn't amazing. It was! In 48 hours we sold 115 items to dozens of people. They all paid before 10 a.m. the next morning and all but a few things were out the door a day later. It was the most efficient and least stressful auction we've ever run.

Some folks donated extra when they paid, bumping the totals. And we actually kept 13 donated items out of the online auction because we're doing a separate, in-person auction during our Nov. 5 Extra Life game day marathon at Medicine Hat Lodge.

And even that isn't the point I want to get to.

No, there was one... more... thing we worked on to announce at the end of this year's auction. It won't make nearly as much money as the auction, but it's been a long time coming.

For the first time in four years, we are selling #Dominicstrong items! Many friends have asked when we'd do this again, and our daughter has outgrown most of the apparel we bought for her when she was born, plus I've learned a lot in my brief new communications career including how to run these things.

As we've done before, proceeds from this sale will go to Helping Families Handle Cancer, the Calgary-based charity that does exactly what it says. When Dominic was in hospital they helped with parking passes, gas cards, and all kinds of non-monetary support. Carie, who started the organization, is a cancer survivor herself and puts everything she has into it.

Anyhow, there are toques, T-shirts, a tank top, and hoodies for sale now at https://dominicstrong2022.itemorder.com/.

There is a catch: Orders will be delivered to Source for Sports here in Medicine Hat, so if you don't live here, you'll need to be in touch with us to arrange delivery. Message us before placing your order unless you're going to pick it up yourself.

There is another catch: This is a limited-time store. It closes at 5 p.m. Oct. 12, which just so happens to be Dominic's birthday. He would be turning 10. So you need to place your order soon, or not at all. There is no extra stock being purchased.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the auction. Watch for more details about the 25-hour game day here soon. But don't waste time if you want any apparel! Who knows when we'll do this again.

Here's the plan

 

Photos of Dominic which we had on his hospital room window so that everyone knew it was his room

Normally by this time of year we've already had the Superhero Night game, already started asking for donations for the online auction, already got plans in the works for the 25-hour charity game day.

So we're a bit late. But late is better than never, right?

Truth is, life is pretty good for us. We're enjoying the summer, have great friends, happy at our jobs, and love our little family. Of course we wonder what it would be like with Dominic, but dwelling on that would be counterproductive.

So on to more good news! Let's start with the Medicine Hat Mavericks.

Superhero Night - Aug. 4

Before the pandemic started we had plans on doing a Superhero Night jersey with a Spider-Man theme for the game in 2020. Needless to say those got scrapped, and two years later the way the team does special nights has changed a bit too.

Gone are the jerseys, which were pretty expensive and also tough to get shipped from overseas in time during the current global economic climate. Instead, the team is doing special socks - far more affordable, easier to get in bulk but still a fun memento from the night.

The rest of the fun will be the same. Special music, games, and good times at the ballpark. Superhero Night is set for Thursday, Aug. 4 at Athletic Park, with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch. It's going to be a great night.

Please, tell your friends. Heck, tell your enemies! Let's fill the park.

Online auction - Sept. 30-Oct. 2

The online auction will take place Sept. 30-Oct. 2 this year, as always managed through our Facebook group (#Dominicstrong). If you know someone who might be interested in bidding, add them to the group please! We will start asking for donations in August.

If you run a business or know someone at a business who might want to donate an item, please contact us! This auction routinely gets 100-plus items, and our rule has always been if you donated last year, we're going to ask again this year.

Based on how late we are starting things I do expect a much smaller auction this year, and that's just fine. Every penny helps.

Extra Life game day - Nov. 5-6

Well it's official: We are doing a public 25-hour game day again for the first time in four years.

The Medicine Hat Lodge is hosting us in one of their big upstairs ballrooms, just like our first year. It'll kick off at 8 a.m. Nov. 5 and we'll play games and try to raise money for the Alberta Children's Hospital until 8 a.m. on Nov. 6.

Want to join us for the full 25 hours? You'll want to get in touch with us so that we can plan out some dedicated space for you, and make sure you've got a fundraising page set up through Extra Life. Only want to drop in for a few hours? That will work too! There will be plenty of games for all to play, and likely a few special silent auction items which we're going to hold over from the main online auction.

If anyone wants to help plan this event definitely let us know.

Extra Life update

In case you're not following along on our Facebook group, at the end of the previous blog post in April I mentioned that I was going to compete in Extra Life United. It wound up that I won the Carcassone tournament, worth US$4,000 to the hospital! It was truly a marathon and I've asked them politely to do it differently next time - the board game tournaments were definitely about attrition, rather than skill, which made them much different than the video game side of the event.

Unfortunately, the dates for Extra Life United 2023 are right at the busiest part of tax season for Trish, so we don't know when we'll be seeing our friends in that community next.

Well that's it for this post. Look for a recap of Superhero Night next week, and regular updates leading up to both the online auction and game day. This is the 10th year anniversary of Dominic's cancer diagnosis, so it's both special and especially tough. Thank you for keeping Dominic in your heart.

Auction weekend

It's definitely just my anxiety, but it feels today like everything is coming undone.

The annual online auction, having raised more than $50,000 since it began, takes place again this weekend. We've got more than 100 items including some truly unexpected, spectacular pieces. You can access it all here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.411614883661291. Bidding starts Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. MST and ends Sunday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m.

Word art on mugs? Check. Word art on incredible wood clock? Yes. Everything from gift cards to full birthday parties and one-of-a-kind memorabilia? Of course.

But it's easy to sink into the negatives. Are enough people aware of the auction? The last blog post I wrote here, about the city of Medicine Hat proclaiming September as childhood cancer month, has been read by fewer than 100 people.

I'm afraid that I'm not doing a good enough job for Dominic, having focused on all the massive changes in my life these past two years instead. On one hand I know that interest in him is bound to diminish over time as people's memories of his life fade. But a big part of me refuses to accept it.

We resist change. Ask someone to do their job differently tomorrow and you'll be met with a range of emotions from anger to confusion and back again. And yet, when you're a hospital parent, you roll with it. You have no other choice.

Kids in children's hospitals right now are facing significant changes over which they have no control. They're being told they can't get surgeries and procedures done. We need to do better for these kids. The #Dominicstrong auction is a small way towards that. We're not going to change the world with another $8,100 (the total we raised last year). But every penny helps.

You were going to spend the $50 at Wal Mart anyhow. So buy one of the three gift cards in the auction and add $5 out of goodwill.

You were going to have your kids' birthday party at the local gymnastics club anyhow. So spend that money in the auction, not looking for a discount, because it goes to a good cause and the club donated it.

See an item with few bids? Think of someone you know who might want it, then contact them, tell them about the auction, and get them to bid it up.

It's not complicated. Charity isn't about you saving a buck. It's about you doing good.

Please, come together and let's do some good.

Forging ahead

Today, Dominic's sister will go to school for the first time.

She'll meet her teacher, see the room, and get a taste of what to expect. And I can't help but think - what would his experience be like if he were still here?

Six years ago we were getting on the plane to Florida for what would become his final trip. Had a miracle occurred and he'd somehow beat leukemia for good, he'd have still faced so many challenges: a stroke had left half his body debilitated, chemotherapy has devastating long-term effects, and that's to say nothing of what mental consequences there are to someone who's been put through so much.

We always thought it would be a blessing that he was so young when it happened, thinking he wouldn't remember the worst parts and that his resiliency would be incredible.

Dom would be eight years old were he alive today and headed into Grade 3. I imagine he'd be involved with the local adaptive sport association, or maybe Special Olympics, and loving the chance to meet new friends.

How would COVID affect his situation? Hard to say, but kids with cancer tend to have long-term autoimmune problems. We'd have to be extra careful. 

With those what-if scenarios in our head, it isn't easy sending his sister to school. We're lucky her day home shares our perspective on safety, but with COVID cases in our city at an all-time high our anxiety is peaking as well.

We are trying to forge ahead. Day home has been great for her and so should school.

The push forward includes our charity efforts. We haven't done much this year but owe it to Dominic and the children's hospital, and so the #Dominicstrong online auction will take place Sept. 24-26 via the Facebook group of the same name.

Last year we debated not doing it at all but somehow raised $8,001. This year's auction will be even smaller and that's fine - every penny helps. We've reached out to all 73 donors from last year's auction and the majority have stepped up again. We've got gift certificates, board games, artwork and so much more!

If you see this post and might be interested in donating something, email donations@dominicstrong.com. And if you just want to help, please join the Facebook group and share the heck out of posts like this one so that we get as many bidders as possible for the auction. 

It hasn't been easy, but then again it never was for Dominic once leukemia entered our lexicon. Every little step is still a step forward for him.

Community makes the auction

 

When we announced the online auction would take place for the sixth year in a row, we figured it would wind up roughly half the size as the previous ones.

Are we ever glad to be wrong.

In the span of five-and-a-half weeks, we've racked up 107 items for the #Dominicstrong auction benefitting the Alberta Children's Hospital via Extra Life. Time and time again we've been amazed at the generosity of our community.

A friend from an online community we belong to said she'd give a piece of art, then added a foosball table, toy set and air hockey. Another I knew from when she coached and I reported came through with a massive item including a skateboard with two thumbs-up's on it. So many of the longtime contributors to the auction not only said yes again, but in some cases went above and beyond what they usually give.

And that's no slag on anyone who said no. No is what we expected to hear, and for good reason. "Keep us on the asking list for next year," said a few, realizing they simply can't afford handouts right now but still want to support the cause. We'd decided prior to the auction that we will re-ask anyone from 2019 in 2021 anyhow.

A couple we didn't initially ask were the Medicine Hat College Rattlers and Medicine Hat Mavericks. With sports seasons completely cancelled, we just didn't think they'd be in a position to offer anything. But alas, when we did ask, they figured something out.

This year's auction has a bit of everything. From masks to games, jewellery to axe throwing, food and golf, the hope is lots of you see something you like and bid on it. Most important, don't keep the auction to yourself! The more bidders we get, the more money we raise for the hospital. There's no chance we'll meet the $10,000 mark we have the past few years, but every penny helps.

It's all a great reminder that our community is strong, and generous. In the six years it has run, the total amount donated through the auction is $48,116. It's a lot of work but clearly worth it - it's how we parent our son who's not here anymore.

How do you share the auction? This blog post is a good place to start. So, too is the story Chris Brown put together for CHAT News (https://chatnewstoday.ca/2020/09/22/dominicstrong-auction-keeps-dominic-rooneys-legacy-alive). As for direct links, here's the one to the auction album itself (https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=oa.242004390576370&type=3), though keep in mind that in order to bid you have to actually join the group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/dominicstrong) first.

We do have one extra surprise in store - whoever winds up buying the most auction items will get a special custom-made bag with Natalie Long's word art on it! Bailey Stralia did the bag for us out of the blue, while she was working on some facemasks which are a story on their own: Trish's mom Anne made the masks in Calgary, then Bailey added thumbs-up and hashtag art onto them, then she made pouches with more art to store them in! If that wasn't enough, Eva from St. Albert shipped us ear savers she crocheted for the project.

A lot of things came together for this, and it was made even tougher in the last week when Trish, Samantha and I all came down sick. We had to be tested for COVID but fortunately got the news Thursday night that we're all negative. The auction was never in danger, it's just been a lot of work to get it all up and running!

We hope you have fun, and remember that bidding ends Sunday at 5 p.m. Mountain time.

Online auction announcement

Up is down, left is right, cats and dogs might as well be living together, but the one thing you'd think could stay on track this year is our annual #Dominicstrong online auction.

And yes. Yes it will*

We debated not running an auction. With so many people out of work, businesses shut down and all the other implications of COVID-19, the resources available for fundraising are depleted at every angle.

Other charities have turned to online auctions, to the point we're concerned ours will get lost in the maelstrom. Heck, the Alberta Children's Hospital, which our auction benefits via Extra Life, is running one right now that ends Aug. 21 (check it out here).

But we also know the flipside - families who in normal times would be going through hell dealing with a critical illness are now dealing with so much more. They deserve all of our support. They need it.

And so, our auction will run Friday, Sept. 25 to Sunday, Sept. 27 on the #Dominicstrong Facebook page. This post is the official call for donations. If you or someone you know would like to help the auction, we'd love to hear from you. Email donations@dominicstrong.com or message Sean on Facebook or Twitter if you follow him on those platforms.

We are so thankful to announce the first item in this year's auction already. It's from Natalie Long, whose word art has adorned some of the most memorable items in years past. This cozy blanket has the word art embroidered in a corner.

In previous years we've seen the auction balloon to more than 120 items. We don't think that will happen this year, and that's fine. Similarly, the $10,000 goal we've managed to hit in recent years is simply not realistic. Whatever we raise, it will help. That will be the goal, not to get bogged down in the numbers.

With no local baseball season, Superhero Night won't happen. We similarly have no expectation of holding a mini-golf tournament. So besides this, the only thing we're doing is the main Extra Life gaming marathon in early November. It's crazy to think it'll be five years since Dominic died in September, but we'll keep forging on. It's what you do.

Auction No. 5

When our friend Kristine first started an online auction four years ago to help with our Extra Life efforts, we were honoured, and humbled. What a wonderful idea - totally online bidding, no need for pants, every penny raised to the hospital.

It finished off that year with $7,900 raised, and pushed our Extra Life total past US$46,000 for the year, all in Dominic's name. Kristine, her whole family and Trish all shaved their heads. I, having no hair left, waxed my back. Good times!

And then the question became - how do we follow that up?

The answer, of course, is that you can't. The bulk of that year's fundraising happened in the wake of our son's death. But what you can do is continue on with things like the auction, like the 25-hour gaming marathon, and still have incredible impact.

And yet, somehow, the auction itself actually got bigger.

In 2016 it raised $10,000. The number grew to $10,921 in 2017. With a new daughter to care for and far less free time, we still managed $9,877 in bids last year, even though the amount of traffic on the auction went down significantly.

This year we sort of admitted defeat in that we don't have the resources between the two of us to do our day jobs, raise a now-2-year-old, and solicit dozens of new businesses (in addition to the ones who we automatically contact as repeat donors). We knew the auction would be smaller and it is, with 116 items to last year's 132, and a total value of the minimum bids at $4,740 compared to $6,705 in 2018. We definitely don't have time to organize a public game day, though we'll do our own in private again Nov. 2-3.

But I will say, thanks to social media we are seeing more traffic and interest on the auction items ahead of today's (Friday, Sept. 27) auction starting at 5 p.m. Mountain time. So that is really encouraging. If we can double every minimum bid, $10,000 is still a goal worth shooting for!

There are some amazing items again. From the two sets of crokinole discs we originally had made for Extra Life United, to tickets from the Esplanade to each of their three Classic Albums Live concerts, to beautiful handmade items, gift cards to stores big and small, and of course some special word art mugs, the variety is kind of mind-blowing.

It's all thanks to our community, both here and abroad. I know a few folks from the U.S. who we met because of Extra Life will be bidding, and our donations include items from Calgary as always.

What really surprises us are the new donations from people who we never reached out to and never heard from before. The fact Dominic's story has inspired them to give means so much. One woman who wants to remain anonymous hand-made a dozen outfits for a doll she had, which literally took months, and has now donated the lot of it including the doll. When I told a gaming company we weren't sure if having the same game in the auction year after year was a good idea, they donated two other games instead. And when one friend's company declined to donate anything, she went and bought things from her own store and donated anyhow.

Stories like these remind us how good people are. And the number of families we know who've needed to use the Alberta Children's Hospital past or present only gets bigger. We want to help the hospital continue to give them the best care possible, just as they did when we needed it.

Go check out the auction now. It runs until 5 p.m. Sunday. You've got to be a member of the Facebook group in order to bid, and make sure to read the auction rules in full before you participate! It should be a great weekend.

Auction in full swing

Hey folks, sorry I didn't write earlier this week but it's been busy, and it feels like anyone who would want to know about the annual #Dominicstrong auction already does!

The auction, which runs off our Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups.dominicstrong), began Friday with 131 items and has since grown to 132 items because I managed to forget one. Mistakes happen.

There's everything from #Dominicstrong dice and special word art items to a signed Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames) jersey and even an incredible six-foot-long bench. So many gift certificates, golf, entertainment and, well, there's 132 items: It's quite a list.

I'm always afraid the auction has become so big that items will get missed and not bid on. There are a handful as of 11 a.m. of today's final day that still have no bids, but I'm crossing my fingers that changes. And there are always a few items that draw a ton of attention, which is super fun to watch.

We raised $10,921 last year, and even if we don't break that number this time around, it'll be a success. I had said earlier this year we wouldn't have as much time to run the auction this year, yet we still have wound up doing as much or maybe even more work than ever before. I guess once you start something like this, it's hard not to do the best job you can at it.

Of course, every single penny raised goes to the Alberta Children's Hospital via Extra Life. And there's big news there that will make my job easier when making that massive donation: Extra Life now accepts Canadian funds! It's something they'd been promising (and something Canadian Extra Life members had been asking for) for a long time. So once the auction is over I'll get back to straight-up asking for donations there.

Individuals can't get a tax receipt when they buy something at our auction, but there are a ton of great items and knowing it all goes to charity has got to feel good. It never ceases to amaze us how incredible our community is: It warms my heart anytime we ask someone about donating and they already know who Dominic is.

The auction finishes at 5 p.m. today (Sunday, Sept. 30) so if this is the first you've heard of it, go on Facebook, find the group and check it out! And if you saw this too late I'm sorry for not writing a blog earlier. I'll follow up with the totals next week.

Thanks for all your support. This is the biggest thing we do in terms of raising money every year, and without a public game day event this year it has even more importance. We'll still be gaming 25 hours Nov. 3-4, just not at a place anybody can come and play with us. We'll instead encourage gamers of all types to sign up for Extra Life and make their own game day experiences!

Charity plans for the year: Superhero Night, mini golf, online auction and more!

People used to ask us how we did it: How do you deal with a kid with leukemia and still have energy to go to work?

Well, for one, Trish didn't work - her job was Dominic. And what a job it was. As for the rest of it, well, you just find a way. You don't have a choice.

Now we both work and raise a perfectly healthy daughter, and to the people who manage to juggle that plus do charity work, I have to ask: How do you do it? Because I'm finding myself exhausted a lot. And that's just with one kid, who we send to a day home for a couple hours a day when our work schedules overlap.

Anyways, life really is fantastic, but it does feel like our charity work has slowed down. We knew it would and we planned for it, but I feel bad for Dominic's sake. We've done so much and we will keep going, just not at the same speed as we used to. There are only so many hours in the day.

A few things to talk about today. First, we have dates for all of this year's #Dominicstrong fundraising events!

Superhero Night

For the second year in a row, the Medicine Hat Mavericks are holding Superhero Night, with special jerseys and promotions and proceeds going to the Alberta Children's Hospital.

It's Saturday, July 14, as the Mavs play the Edmonton Prospects (the team that beat them out in playoffs last summer). First pitch is 7:05 p.m. I haven't been authorized to share the jerseys quite yet, but last year's were a hit and this year's version is pretty awesome too. The players will wear them for half the game, then they'll be sold off for charity.

As always, a huge thanks to owner Greg Morrison, his family and staff who have been so incredible to us in wanting to make this event the best it can be. It was a blast last year and this year will be too!

Mini-golf

It's hard to believe but Hooplas Family Entertainment Centre will hold a #Dominicstrong event for the fourth time this year. For the second year in a row it's going to be a mini-golf tournament the evening of Sunday, Aug. 12. That's a month earlier than previous years but it's also in the middle of the summer season, so we're hoping lots of folks will come out, play a round, stay for dinner and have a great time supporting the hospital.

We'll have prizes, even more special themed holes than last year and it's only a couple hours long, so not a huge time commitment. Stay tuned for how to sign up but in the meantime, go hit the course and fine-tune your game!

Gas City Entertainment Expo

We've had a booth there in past years but this year's entertainment expo in Medicine Hat will see us as their official charity.
The date is Saturday, Sept. 15 and we'll be there, plus I'm going to do a panel discussion about Extra Life!

Online auction

The biggest fundraising venture we do is the online auction, which this year will run Sept. 28-30 through the #Dominicstrong Facebook page.

We've had more than 100 items each of the past two years and raised at least $10,000 each time. If you (either as an individual or business) want to donate something, please email donations@dominicstrong.com - we won't have as much time this year to get out and solicit donations so we're hoping we hear from a lot of folks directly.

Extra Life

I'm sad to say we are not going to hold a public 25-hour gaming event this year as we have each of the past three years. Put simply, it didn't turn out to be worth the amount of work and investment from sponsors that we made back in money for the hospital. We'd rather do our own thing privately and encourage other groups to participate in Extra Life on their own time.

On the plus side, Trish just got approved to take a vacation week during tax season: The Rooney's are going back to Extra Life United in March 2019! It'll be our first time going with Samantha - actually it'll be her first time on an airplane. We have to start saving now however, as airfare is more expensive than ever and she'll be two years old then - no longer free to fly.

Pokemon

This final bit of news might only make sense to some folks, but bear with me because I'm a gigantic geek.

Trish and I have played Pokemon Go together since it was released in 2016. For those who don't know, it's a mobile game you play by going to real-world locations, then using your cellphone to virtually accomplish tasks in the game while there.

The locations are populated using a variety of methods, and this past week the park behind our house where Dominic's bench sits became one of those locations. It's called a Pokestop. And if you are in the game and click on this Pokestop it's identified as the #Dominicstrong Memorial Playground.

It's a little way of remembering him and we love it. It also gives us a pretty nice boost in the game itself, being so close to our home!

Bidding time

I really should've written a couple more blogs this month, but the truth is it's been a little crazy around here.

A 120-plus-item online auction is not a cakewalk, even if you've done it before.

Started two years ago by Kristine Russell, the #Dominicstrong online auction was a neat way to raise some extra money for our Extra Life efforts. She set it up as a photo album on Facebook where every photo is an item that you bid on by commenting. Every penny raised goes to the Alberta Children's Hospital via our Extra Life pages.

For small businesses it's a way to give back to the community with relatively little harm to the bottom line. You donate an item or a gift certificate, your name is attached to a charity. Boom. It's amazing how many people say yes when we ask if they'd like to help out.

The fear, of course, is that nobody will bid and you're left holding items. But in the two years of the auction, there's been exactly one item that didn't get a bid. And that was a store credit so nothing was really lost.

We've got a room in our house that gets very, very full this time of year. The bed was covered in gifts - scarves, games, artwork, electronics, shirts and gift cards by the dozen. And once the auction is done it'll slowly get taken away, and we'll finally be able to walk around in the room.

It is a lot of work to go around to dozens of businesses and ask, but it's been worth it. So many of them have heard our story and the ones we get to tell about Dominic, and how great the Alberta Children's Hospital was to us those two years after his diagnosis, it's wonderful to know folks care and want to help us give back.

The first year, the auction was a big part of the US$45,000 we raised. I believe their goal was to get us to $30,000, at which point their whole family (kids included) shaved their heads.

Last year, the auction raised $10,000 (Canadian), the last $5 from someone who I casually mentioned to that we were that amount short of five figures. With 122 items we were simply astounded at the generosity.

Naturally, we set a bigger goal for this year. Bigger. Better. Let's soar past $10,000.

And so, right now if you go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/dominicstrong you'll see the pinned post, the 2017 auction, with 135 items in it (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1880312512285906). Memorabilia. Special #Dominicstrong mugs. Tickets to sporting events in Medicine Hat and Calgary. Toques and kids clothes and card games and special dice.

Can you do me a favour and let a couple friends know about the auction please? There are plenty of items for everyone, and it goes to a good cause. Even if you don't live in Medicine Hat or Calgary, there may be things we could ship to you on the cheap. And if you do live in those cities, I'm pretty sure we can get purchases to you for free.

Perhaps the most emotional part of doing something like this is hearing about families who are spending time at the hospital who we hadn't heard of before. There are more than you realize. They're the reason we do this, in hopes the care their kids get is as good as what our son got.

I told one of them on Facebook that one day they'll miss the hospital. "I can't imagine feeling that," was the response. But trust me, when the people there are a second family to you for so long, you do miss them.

So thanks in advance for your support, and here's hoping we can keep doing this year after year.

P.S. - There's a story in the Medicine Hat News today about the auction: http://medicinehatnews.com/news/local-news/2017/09/29/dominicstrong-charity-auction-starts-at-5-pm/

Ten thousand reasons to smile

After raising some $65,000 last year for the Alberta Children's Hospital through gaming charity Extra Life, it was hard to decide what goals we'd set for the #Dominicstrong team this year.

Obviously, they wouldn't be that high. We asked for donations in lieu of gifts or flowers in his obituary, and money like that isn't likely to be duplicated.

We had a meeting to figure out what major events would take place. The mini-golf fundraiser was a go for Sept. 11. We set the online auction to wrap up Oct. 2. Finally, the 25-hour game day starting Nov. 5 would cap it off.

Right away, I said I wanted us to raise US$20,000 (all Extra Life donations are made in US dollars due to the leaderboards including all of North America). That's about $27,000 Canadian, so less than half of what we raised in 2015.

I don't think Trish believed we could get there. With a month to go until game day, I'm still not sure. But we are half-way there.

This blog may have been quiet the past few weeks, but only because we've been so busy. The mini-golf fundraiser had a major setback when rain forced its postponement. Still, on Sept. 18, $1,000 was raised. The highlight for me was getting a $100 donation for having my face painted with Dom's Super D sign.

We had barely started asking for donations for the online auction at the start of the month. We will need more help next year, but for this year, it was basically Trish and I. We spent entire weekends messaging people, and pretty soon had just as many items as the auction had last year.

I was stunned by the response. Signed memorabilia from the Calgary Stampeders, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Medicine Hat Tigers and Medicine Hat Mavericks. Gift certificates by the dozen. Artwork, clothing, photography, jewelry, pet food, concert tickets, you name it. All told, 122 items.

I believe the poor economy actually helped. Whereas big-money auctions require you to put out a lot of money with little chance of winning, with ours you could reasonably expect to spend $50 and get a $50 gift card, or something worth more than that amount. The timing was pretty good for Christmas shopping, and of course you get to feel good about giving to charity. For businesses, if every place gives something small it may not seem like much to their bottom line but combined, it becomes something incredible.

The auction happened within our #Dominicstrong Facebook page, structured as a photo album where every photo is an item which you bid on by commenting. Needless to say, my phone went beserk when the auction began and never really shut up. I'd wake up to 90-some notifications every morning.

It's all worth it, of course. I just got the last payment done tonight, and our total, incredibly, is $10,005.

Well, actually it was $34 less than that, but I started telling a couple people we were a few bucks short of five figures and a couple random donations came in.

Converted to US dollars it'll be around US$7,500, which combined with funds already raised from the team puts us at more than US$11,000.

A huge thumbs-up to everyone who helped, be they businesses or individuals who donated items, folks who bid on items (whether you won or not), and even anybody who shared information about the auction. Every dollar from the auction gets donated to the hospital, and every little bit helps.

Now we need to get the rest of the way to our goal. It's time to ask people who donated a year ago if they'd consider helping again, whether in Dom's memory or because there are so many other kids who get help at the hospital.

Oh, and we're going to do a gender reveal for our baby during our Extra Life game day at Medicine Hat Lodge Nov. 5. We had planned to reveal right here, but the baby didn't co-operate at the last ultrasound. Another is scheduled for just prior to game day. Donate anytime between now and then to either of our donation pages (http://www.extra-life.org/participant/sean or http://www.extra-life.org/participant/trish) and include a note saying boy or girl, and you're entered into a draw for a yet-to-be-determined prize.

Also, watch the Facebook group or the #Dominicstrong hashtag on Twitter as we have some other things to give out based on donations.

We're not even finished delivering items this year, and already work for next year's auction has begun. I'll even tell you what the first item will be: The exact same shirt that I got signed by a bunch of celebrities at the Calgary Expo this year. The auction winner, Jen, has donated it back to us and I plan to get more signatures on it, and we'll try to sell it again in 2017. What a great start.