Update for 04/10/2013
4 October 2013""The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.h - Oscar Wilde.?? gThe people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.h - Walter Isaacson.?? These are the quotes that have inspired me into action and the quotes that have motivated me to inspire others into action. As part of our emaking a differencef unit at school, the children of Kaiapoi Borough School and I have been going hard out to raise money for Camp Quality, an amazing charity that supports children living with cancer and their families.?? My name is Daniel George and I'm a primary school teacher at Kaiapoi Borough School in North Canterbury.?The children in my class and I are raising money for Camp Quality NZ, which is a fantastic charity that helps put smiles on the faces of children living with cancer. I myself have been volunteering with Camp Quality for almost 9 years so I have seen first hand what an awesome difference it makes in these children's lives. Camp Quality is a non-profit, charitable trust dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for children living with cancer. It allows children, and siblings of children, who have suffered from cancer to experience a week long camp each year filled with fun, laughter and happiness. The children are matched one on one with an adult companion and get the chance to hang out with other children who have been through the same things as them. The week long camp, as well as numerous other events throughout the year offer support for families and help put smiles on some deserving childrenfs faces, allowing them to just be kids again.?? I am currently teaching the children in my class about 'making a difference' so this fundraising project was born when I decided to try and lead by example and show the children how one person, with the help of others, can make a difference. Basically what I have done is created a fundraising page and have decided to put my own spin on the traditional fundraiser by locking in a different challenge for every $1,000 that has been raised. ??We have 4 children in our school community who have been affected by cancer in some way (two children currently undergoing treatment, and two children in remission, one of whom was on this years Camp Quality camp), so it is a cause that is particularly relevant for us at the moment. ??It all started as a 'raise a $1,000 and I'll shave my head' fundraiser, and has grown beyond my wildest expectations to a fundraiser where $20,000 is now a realistic goal. After nearly two months of fundraising the total currently stands at $15,030 and the challenge list is growing! The challenges I have on my list at the moment are:?$1,000 - Shave my hair off (along with 5 other children from school, who also helped raise money). ?$2,000 - Run a half marathon. ?$3,000 - Write and record a charity song with the help of some of the children at school. ?$4,000 - Get my legs waxed (as chosen by the kids in my class).? $5,000 - I am painting a piece of art and the KBS children are creating 40 pieces of framed art to donate to the children's wards in Christchurch Hospital.? $6,000 - I will be giving up every drink but water for a month, and each of the children in my class are giving up something important to them for the rest of the school term (2 weeks). Each of the children will be trying to get sponsorship so they can do their bit to make a difference.?$7,000 - Become a blood donor.? $8,000 - A bird related challenge (facing my biggest fear).?$9,000 - Go blindfolded for 24 hours in support of one of the children from a past Camp Quality camp who is visually impaired as a result of cancer. $10,000 - Complete a 21 day Outward Bound course. $11,000 - Busk for one day to raise funds for Camp Quality. $12,000 - 100km bike, 100 press ups, 100 sit ups, 100 burpees, 100 squat jumps, 100 dips. $13,000 - A 'charity auction' on trade me auctioning off a different item for every thousand dollars that has been raised, with all proceeds going towards Camp Quality.?? I am still looking for 2 more challenges to lock in so if anyone has any ideas please let me know.?? On Friday 13th September we had our main fundraiser 'Odd Shoe Day', which the whole school got behind to raise around $650. On Tuesday 17th September was the day when the challenges began and it kicked off with the big head shave in Whanau time (school assembly). Myself and five students from school got our heads shaved as a sign of support for the children at our school who have been through or are currently going through a bit of a rough time with cancer treatment. Since then I have completed, or partly completed another 5 challenges and the rest will hopefully be completed within the next month. ??The children at Kaiapoi Borough School have got right in behind this fundraiser and are all doing their bit to contribute. Odd shoe days, market afternoons, and giving up things that are important to them to gain sponsorship are some of the many things my class are involved in to do their bit to make a difference. At the end of the school term, the children held a 'market afternoon' and managed to raise a mammoth $863 from the stalls they had set up, which was a huge effort for a bunch of 11, 12 and 13 year old students! The fundraising page is open for donations until November 6th and we would love to continue the momentum so we can raise as much money as possible to help as many kids and their families as we can. It costs $1,400 for Camp Quality to support one child and their family for a year so we figure the more we raise, the more smiles we can put on the faces of the people that deserve it the most. I have had incredible support from my friends and family and have used facebook as my main method of promoting what I am doing. In the last month of the fundraiser I would like to get the word out to businesses and challenge them to donate at least $100 to a very worthy cause! A few businesses have jumped onboard already, but I would love to see more!