Fundraising - Round 2!

Last Summer, with your help, we were able to raise the $13,000 needed to get Thor's Autism Service Dog. We are scheduled to get his Service Dog in August 2012 (we haven't received exact class dates yet, but hope to soon).

We now face another major hurdle: the cost to actually go to training. Flights, hotel, car rental, eating out...2 weeks, 2 adults, 1 child. The costs are large and we have just 6 short months to make it happen. In order to make the $10,000 goal (estimated costs), we have to raise about $1700/month for the next 6 months.

That's a lot. 

But...

We have done this before - with the help of our community, friends, family, and complete strangers (now friends!) from around the world...we managed to raise $13,000 in just a couple of months last Summer.

I know we can do this. 

I've set up a Fundraising Page that is shareable on Twitter & Facebook (or you can email the link to friends). Donations made through this will go directly into Thor's travel account via PayPal.

In addition, Nikki (our local Scentsy rep), has generously set up an Online Scentsy Party for Paws 4 Thor. Proceeds from this will go towards Thor's trip in August.

Thank you to everyone who has shared Thor's story and continues to support our journey!

I'll leave you with a few new photos of Thor and his video (it's been a while since I posted it on the blog).

Practicing his "smile"

taking a break from building towers

just chill...

Eastmonds Gourmet Sweets

If you're not familiar with Eastmond's Gourmet Sweets in the Maple Park Mall (Quesnel) - you're missing out! Shelley, owner and baker extraordinaire, has been a big supporter of Thor's journey. If you've been in her shop you probably noticed the PAWS 4 THOR change box at her till...and maybe you even donated a little.

Well I'd like to tell you that every penny in that box makes a difference! Yesterday, I went to empty out the box and there was $50 just in change. That's 50 steps closer to us having enough to get to Ohio to get Thor's Service Dog!!

Shelley sent home a little treat for Thor too, which he taste-tested after preschool.
I'll let you decide if he liked it...


 


Donation boxes can be found in various businesses around town - Eastmond's, Lordco, and Curves. Donations can also be made directly to Thor's custodial account through the TD Canada Bank to account #9352 6340323.


Thank you to everyone for all your support!!

Happy Birthday Thor

This month, Thor turned 3.
Had anyone told me 3 years ago that my sweet baby would be spending his time in speech therapy, occupational therapy, special needs play groups, and would require someone to help him with all aspects of his daily routine...I would have laughed.

But now I can't imagine life being different. What may be typical for any other family is not for us - we have a set schedule with therapy nearly every day of the week. Thor has made improvements and I hope he will continue to do so.

He still runs...oh he is a runner!! Trips to the grocery store fill me with anxiety - he's too big to sit in the baby seats in the cart which means now I have to keep one hand on him at all times while trying to focus on the shopping list and pushing the cart. When we finally have his service dog, I won't have that to worry about - Thor will have a belt around his waist and be tethered to his dog who will be trained to keep Thor where he needs to be.

This last weekend I was in Wal-Mart with Thor and I let go of his hand for one second to pick something off the rack. He was gone in a flash and I was filled with panic. He wouldn't answer me when I called. He was nowhere to be seen.

First Time Skating
(on his 3rd Birthday!)

Thankfully, I know his tricks well and was able to find him quickly.
....he was playing hide & seek inside the clothing rack - only, he forgot to tell me that's what we were doing.

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We raised the money needed to get his dog trained and will be going to Ohio for 2 weeks of training in 2012 – though we still need to raise the money needed for the 2 week trip. Thanks for all the help & continued support!

An Update on Thor's Pawtner...

We're slowly counting down the months until we head off to Ohio in August (2012) to meet Thor's pawtner - his Autism Service Dog; we don't know what dog we're getting, and won't until likely a week or two before we head out for training. Nonetheless, it's very exciting to know we reached our fundraising goal and are able to get Thor his much needed service dog...even if the wait seems long.

We have one more hurdle to overcome in order to get Thor's service dog....the cost to go to the 11 days of training in Ohio. Thor must be accompanied by myself and another adult, which means the cost of return flights for 3 people, hotel, car rental, gas, food, etc. After pricing out everything I'm estimating the costs to be around $10000 (give or take a few hundred).

SLATE, a 4 Paws Service Dog (in training)
....could he be Thor's pawtner??

This September, the South Quesnel Business Association grouped together to put on an outdoor screening of the CARS 2 movie, with admission fees going as donations towards Thor's service dog and another boy, Jacob, in town with high medical costs - I am eternally grateful to live in a community that would come out and help support us like that. The movie night brought in $1500 for Thor's service dog and since we'd already met our fundraising goal for the dog, it's been put in his custodial account to help pay for his trip.

Donations are very much appreciated and can be made through paypal or directly through any TD Canada Trust Bank to Account# 9352 6340323 as well,

I'm open to any fundraising ideas (and help!) you may have...please email me or post on our Facebook Page if you have suggestions or can offer your help.

PAW IT FORWARD - RAISING HOPE FOR SPECIAL KIDS

Through a wonderful twist of faith, Chris McCoy, winner of GiveBack's 100 Days of Giving contest, has offered to make his first donation to 4 Paws for Ability Inc., an agency that provides highly-trained dogs to children, adults, and veterans regardless of age or disability. This donation has completed Thor's fundraising requirement and he is able to receive help in the form of a service dog, allowing him to grow and cope with his condition.

Stephen, Chris, Erin (me!), and Kelly (4 Paws Staff)
Listening to Stephen's inspiring talk
at our press conference!

This act of generosity inspired me to create Paw It Forward - a fundraiser designed to raise money for other children such as Thor who are also in need of these special dogs.

This fundraiser was launched with the help of the wonderful people of GiveBack.org - I flew out to Ohio a couple weeks ago to meet Stephen Paletta (GiveBack's founder) and Chris McCoy at the 4 Paws for Ability's training facility. We were able to meet the trainers, the dogs, and were even lucky enough to meet a seizure alert/mobility assistance class.

The picture above was taken while I was observing the last day of training - these dogs were absolutely amazing and I had parents coming up to me to tell me how the dogs had changed their child (and family's) life in only 10 days!

My trip to Ohio was brief but so very rewarding - I met some amazing people and have taken on several new projects involving charity & special needs. I also found out that we will be returning to 4 Paws in August 2012 to get Thor's Autism Service dog!

I hope you will join me as I strive to Paw it Forward!

Big News!

Thanks to a couple of large donations, we're finished our fundraising for Thor's Autism Service Dog!! Those donations haven't yet made it to the hands of 4 Paws for Ability, but will be there in a matter of weeks...which is a story for another time when I have more details. But trust me when I say, it will be a very exciting event!!

So besides having raised all the money, what does this mean? It means now Thor's dog (we won't know which one until closer to getting it) will begin training...it means I need to make a video of Thor to help them train his dog.

It also means I now have to start raising the money for our big trip from Northern BC, Canada to Xenia, Ohio for the 11 days of training we will have to attend next year (I'm guessing May-ish but I'll know more once we're assigned a training class).

This is no small cost - flights, hotels, car rental, etc for Thor and 2 adult escorts (one other adult must come with us for times when I must concentrate on my training as a service dog handler without Thor, although there will be plenty of time where he is involved in the training).

These costs will be close to $10,000 and we are once again reaching out for your support! Donations can be made through our fundraising page, or you can donate to the PAWS 4 THOR account through any TD Canada Trustbank to Account#  9352 6340323.

Every dollar donated is appreciated more than you can know...thanks for all your help and continued support in this journey!

GiveBack Contest & Our Continued Fundraising

I'm sad to say that I didn't win the GiveBack 100 Days of Giving Contest...I'm not as sad for me as I am for the families I wanted to help (in addition to Thor) to get their service dogs. I hope to be announcing a new project in the future months that will help continue my dream to help those other families.

For the moment, I must continue to focus on Thor's fundraising goals. This Saturday I am having a Bake Sale/Garage Sale and if you're in the Quesnel area, please stop by and check it out. Of course, baked goods and items for the sale are more than welcome!

You can find the link to the Facebook "event" here - please feel free to pass it on to your friends...I'm hoping for a great turn out. This is happening rain or shine as I'll have tents covering us from our crazy summer weather!

edited to add: GiveBack has yet to announce the official winner of the contest, and even if the r/atheism group wins the contest and donates on behalf of Thor as was announced here, I still then have to raise the money for our 2 weeks of travel, hotels, car, etc to Ohio for training once Thor's dog is ready for him (it takes 9 months to train a dog specifically for his needs, and then we go to Ohio to learn to become a service dog team). We have a long way to go and I am grateful for every person who has helped us!

The Farmer's Market Disaster

If you live in Quesnel and were at today's Farmer's Market you may have seen (or heard) a little boy having what looked like a massive temper tantrum.

That was my son, Thor.

Thor is Autistic. Children with Autism are often overwhelmed, and over stimulated by everything around them. Sights, sounds and smells can be so intense that they are not able to process them and can even be painful. This was the case today - the Farmer's Market was busy and overwhelming for him; he didn't know how to handle all the sights, smells, and sounds around him. 

Thor is mostly non-verbal and cannot tell me that the light is too bright or the noise is too loud or that he can't handle one more stop on our errands list. He doesn't understand the concept of time or having to wait. All of these things and many more lead to emotional outbursts, meltdowns, and self injury (banging his head on hard surfaces, slapping or punching himself).

I try my very best to help calm him in these situations, but sometimes my best is just not enough. That is why an Autism Service Dog is something I'm working day and night to get him. The cost is huge ($13,000) but it will change his life.

If you're new here (I'm hoping at least some of you that I handed a card to at the Farmer's Market have stopped by our site out of compassion or curiosity) - please check out the Who is Thor? & FAQ sections to learn more about Thor and what an Autism Service Dog is and how it will help him.

FUNDRAISER UPDATE:

click to see larger image

I'll be holding a Garage Sale & Bake Sale Fundraiser on July 23rd - click the image on the right for more details. 

**I am graciously accepting donations of items and baked goods for the sale, and you can email me at erin@paws4thor.com anytime to discuss donations/drop offs.

 

We're nearly half way there!

Thanks to everyone who has been supporting our fundraising efforts so far! Right now we're at $4600... just $8400 left to go. I wonder...can we do this by the end of summer? 

There are a few big fundraising events being planned for late Summer*, but I don't have all the details just yet. I'll post them as soon as I know. A lot of our donations have been received from strangers online...I say strangers but I consider you all friends now.

Thor has been very busy - his new schedule includes 32 hours of "work" (groups, therapy sessions, etc) every week. The change in his schedule is definitely an adjustment he's not dealing well with, but change is something he's never done well with. This is something his service dog will help him with...calming down & transitioning through the unfamiliar/unexpected. 

I'm hoping he doesn't have to wait much longer to get his new best friend.

While we don't know what dog Thor will get, it's fun to look at the photos and think one of them might be our new family member...

Stormy, a 4 Paws Service Dog in Training

*If the funds for Thor's service dog are raised before any of the bigger fundraising events, that money will go towards our travel costs - 3 people, 2 weeks in Ohio (flights, hotels, food, car rental... it's going to be expensive, but very much worth it!)

Help Me Change Some Lives...

Dear Friends,

I'm sitting here writing this...begging you to help me. This time I'm not asking for money. I'm asking for 2 clicks of your time. You see, I have a real chance at winning $50,000 for the charity of my choice and I REALLY need your help...

PLEASE Click [this link], then click "Connect with Facebook" - that's it! If you don't have a Facebook account you can manually enter your email to sign up on the Give Back website.

I get 50 points for every person who does this, and if I have the most on July 17th I win $50,000 for charity! Enough to top up Thor's file and reach his goal for his service dog AND to help several other families in need of a service dog!

As of this morning, I'm in 2nd place 1st PLACE and still have until July 17th to win this ---
PLEASE HELP ME... it costs nothing...just 2 clicks of your time could mean changing the life of my son and others like him who are in need of a Service Dog.

*note: I don't receive the money directly, I am simply competing to be allowed to say which charity receives the funds...and in my case I will be choosing 4 Paws for Ability, Inc - the non-profit agency we're currently fundraising for to get Thor's Autism Service Dog.

With your help, I can do this.

And if you're willing to lend a bit more help, here's my referral link you can share on your blog, twitter, facebook, email, etc. (just copy and paste)


https://www.giveback.org/onehundreddays.aspx?refid=36816
If you have a blog, you can also post this button which will link directly to this post...

<center><a href="http://www.paws4thor.com/2011/06/help-me-change-some-lives.html"><img border="0" src="http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb327/minxdesign/Paws4Thor/helpthor.png" width="150"/></a></center>Thanks for all your help!

My Little Escape Artist

I had a major scare today. While I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast this morning, Thor was doing something else...

...trying to escape.

He had a small plastic stool at the back door and had unlocked the door. Thankfully, our house shifted so much this winter that it makes it difficult to open even for me - which means he couldn't open it. But that story could have been so much different.

It's time to invest in a second lock for at the very top of the door - he truly is a little escape artist and I worry about him constantly.

When Thor receives his service dog, he/she will alert me if Thor does leave the area he's supposed to be in, and will be able to find him quickly if he does slip away. We still have $9800 to raise before that can be a reality for us.

If we could raise the money by the end of June, that would mean Thor would get his dog in March 2012 (it takes 9 months to train the dog specifically for Thor's needs). In order to reach that goal we would have to raise $466 every day for 21 days. That's a tall order, I know. But I also know that there are a lot of very wonderful people out there with big hearts.

Thank to everyone who has been helping us reach our goal, you continue to inspire and amaze me with your kindness.

Fundraising: Week 2 Update

This week has been really amazing with the amount of donations that have been made in honor of Thor. Last Sunday we were at just 4% of our goal. Tonight we're at 13%!

Thor's video has been viewed on YouTube over 1300 times (not including views through my blog or on Facebook) - it's wonderful to see how many people have been sharing our story. Many of those people have donated and I'm very grateful - it's truly a blessing to see how many people are willing to help a little boy in need.

If you have the chance to watch it, tonight on Dateline there will be a story about one family who received 2 service dogs from 4 Paws for Ability. Their small community rallied together to help raise the funds needed for two service dogs...amazing! (*edit: they didn't air the 4 Paws segment of the story last night but it was worth watching! Here is the link to the 4 Paws piece.)

I'd like to take a moment now to mention a very special little girl who lost her life this week. *Kristina Vlassenko, a 10 year old girl with Autism, wandered away from her home Monday afternoon. The following morning, little Kristina was found at a construction site - she drowned in a water filled hole. My heart broke for this family, just as it broke for three year old **Adam's family just a month ago. Adam was also autistic, and he wandered away from his home while he was outside playing with his sister. He was missing for a month before he was discovered along the banks of the Mille-Isles River.

These stories are more common than you think - and every time I hear about them it hurts me to the core. I can't help but wonder how different these children's stories would have been had they been under the watch of an Autism Service Dog...a dog trained to be tethered to the child, to alert the parent when the child wanders out of the yard, and (most importantly) trained to track the child if they do go missing.

I am terrified that Thor will become one of those news stories. Which is why I spend my nights writing letters and asking for donations. I'm a single mom with very little income - we make do with what we have and we have a happy life. But I don't have the money needed to get Thor a service dog. A best friend trained to calm him, help him function in public, stop him from hurting himself, and to find him if he manages to slip away. A dog that could very well save his life.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us this far...your support and donations mean more to me than you could ever know.


*read more about Kristina here.
** read more about Adam here.

*IMPORTANT: For Canadian Donors*

I know I've sent out a lot of letters over the last week, including the local paper, and in those it states that donations are tax deductible...this is not the case.

It's been brought to my attention that Canadian Donors are not able to claim their donations to 4 Paws for Ability on their income taxes. If you are Canadian and do not have US-source income, your donation is not tax-deductible. If, however, you also have US-source income and file an international tax return, your donation is tax-deductible.

It was never my intention to mis-lead any potential donors and I apologize for the confusion.


*US donors are still able to claim the donations on their taxes.

Thank you for your support!

Stay Classy - A New Way to Donate!

I'm super excited to share a new way to donate to 4 Paws for Ability - StayClassy...one website to securely donate by credit card or PayPal. You can set up recurring monthly donations, or a make a one-time donation. There is a place to dedicate your donation to someone (you would put "Thor Blocksidge").

Your tax receipts are e-mailed to you directly and you can even choose to stay anonymous if you want. Please click here to go to the donation page.


NOTE FOR CANADIANS: Your donations may not be tax-deductible. Please click here for more information.

click to see larger image

"4 Paws for Ability has partnered with StayClassy to process our online donations and power our fundraising software. The StayClassy platform is a universally accepted method for donation processing and fundraising, and is approved by all major credit card companies to accept your online payment securely. You can learn more about StayClassy by visiting their website at www.stayclassy.org."

Wishing...and hoping...

After staying up well past midnight last night, I now have a stack of letters to send out to local businesses...praying it yields positive results. It's difficult to swallow my pride and ask everyone for money...not that it's going to me personally (all donations go
to 4 Paws for Ability, in honor of Thor). It's extremely humbling, and every time a donation is made in Thor's name I am overwhelmed with emotion.

If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know I've cried with every donation received.

...I have a feeling that it's going to be a tearful $13,000 - the support from friends, family, and even complete strangers is amazing to see and I truly feel that each of the people donating in Thor's name is an angel...at least for our family.

Now that the nice weather is here Thor has developed a new fear....things that fly. Birds, Mosquitoes, Bees...he sees one and a meltdown ensues. He clings to the nearest warm body and cries. It's so heart breaking because he completely shuts down (screaming, crying, clinging, and hitting his own face) until I take him indoors.

There are days I forget that his anxiety is so severe and then something like this crops up and I am reminded of his daily struggle...one I will never fully understand but will do everything I can to help him cope. I can only imagine how different his life will be when his Service Dog - his best friend - will be by his side to comfort and calm him through these (to him) terrifying events...

Garage Sale/Fundraiser

Tomorrow (May 14th) I'm holding a garage sale to benefit Paws 4 Thor. Some very generous friends and neighbors have already donated time, money, and items for the garage sale!

A special thanks to my good friends Roxie & Stephanie who donated items for the sale. Stephanie's daughter melted my heart last night when she brought me baggies of change to donate (remember, no donation is too small!!). Roxie not only donated items for the sale, but also spent all afternoon helping me prep everything and will be there with me tomorrow to run the sale. I'm so lucky to have such fabulous friends!

Thanks to you both!

Thank You, J&M!

J and M Crochet Creations is a mother/daughter team that creates super cute crochet java jackets, home decor and more. Mariah (the "M" of the mother/daughter duo) is a friend of mine and one of our biggest supporters in getting Thor's service dog.

Not only is Mariah a great person to talk to about all we're going through, but she's also donating part of the profits from every sale in her shop to Paws 4 Thor. She even has a special section where you can donate just one dollar ($1) to Paws 4 Thor.

One of my favorite pieces...



 

Camo Change Purse. Large enough to hold your ID 
or credit cards, keys or change. $4 + Shipping

You can find J and M Crochet Creations on Facebook as well - tell them Paws 4 Thor sent you!