Stollery Children's Hospital - Fish Tank Campaign
 

Hi All,

As a New Years resolution we have committed to raising $50,000 to build a 600 gallon mixed reef tank at the Stollery Children's Hospital.

Our campaign began this morning and can be viewed at:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Stolleryaquarium

In addition to your donations we need:

1) A local Fish Store partner. We will be organizing media and other PR but need a partner to host the media.
2) When the time is right we will need old, new, donated equipment.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - we need your help spreading the word. We all love the hobby for all the right reasons. It is thrilling! We passionately want the kids at the Stollery to share that thrill!!

Check out our campaign, like it, Facebook it... what ever you can please.

If you can help in other ways you can think of just email me: tim.grover@gmail.com

I really feel this can be a colle1ctive effort for the kids.

All the best,

Tim

PS LFS..... Email soon, this will be great for business!

I love this idea!
My son spent time there and the kids there are so full of wonder and excitement. I get misty eyed just thinking of all those kids.....

Please Give-


Sent Via The Pirate Ship...

Thanks for the support Salt2Death!

The kids are simply amazing. I hope your son is ok.

Fundraising:

I set it up so that we can accept donations of $1 and up.

This is going to be a real grass roots projects. Once we get the ball rolling I can get some great corporate support... But of course they need some return... acceptable.

Any donation, even $1, is important at this stage.
http://www.indiegogo.com/Stolleryaquarium


I'm getting lt's of PM's. Thanks. If you can post as well that would be great and help us stay towards the top of the forum so we can inform other reefers

New Facebook Page....

We are just getting started...

http://www.facebook.com/StolleryChil...shTankCampaign

Has the U of A hospital actually given approval to have a 600g tank built in the Stollery wing? I only ask because there is no Stollery or UofA Hospital logo on your website and usually there is for fundraisers approved by the hospital. Also the Sick Kids and Alberta Kids links on the site don't go to anything related to a fish tank sponsorship. I have seen others with their hearts in the right place set up fund raisers for hospitals and museums for items they were sure they could use only to be told that they couldn't except the donation and I want to make sure this isn't the same case before I do any type of donating. Thanks.

Hi intarsiabox, Your comments couldn't be more more accurate! I have been working pretty hard on this. The Stollery Children's Foundation has been good to us but there is quite a process. There are lots of variables for sure.

I'm pretty sure this will work out. I have been at this for 20 years but this is this first time I have involved my passion for reef keeping with the Stollery. I think this is a perfect fit for all of the Edmonton Reefers.

I have a call with the foundation on Monday. That said I chose to use IndeGogo to run the funding of the campaign as ALL funds are refundable if we don't meet our goals.

If, for whatever reason, we can't move forward we will IMMEDIATELY refuynd all deposits. How likely is that though considering the perfec t fit!!

Does that work for you?

Yes it does. Thank-you for the reply and I hope to hear a positive response from the Stollery for you!

+1

600g seems like a huge undertaking for the U of A to be supportive of. I think having a tank for the children to enjoy is a great idea, but 600g is a lot of work and a big expense to maintain year after year. Honestly a 30g to max of 180g would be more realistic, and even then I'm not sure where a 180g would fit never mind a 600g in the hospital. I will try to call the hospital in the morning to see if I can get any further information about this project.

Did you mean Indiegogo?
http://www.indiegogo.com/

It says as their tag line "The world's funding platform. Go fund yourself." No offence but I for one am a bit skeptical, especially with a project of this size.

I'm forwarding this thread to Ashif Mawji with the Stollery. I know Ashif from the Charity car events

http://www.stollerykids.com/about-us...hif-mawji.aspx

Personally and this is none of my business but a smaller easier setup to maintain would be better. If they give up on the yearly costs to maintain. And 50 grand could do a lot more good for kids with new equipment for treating.

Don't get me wrong I think it's a great idea the kids would definitely love it. I just worry for the long term with equipment failure and tank crashes. I do hope it works out for you tho


Sent from my porcelain aquarium

This is a great idea; a tank like that would be relaxing and keep their attention for quite some time.

As expensive and challenging as building and stocking a tank like this is, it's really the easy and inexpensive part. Operating and maintaining it is the real kicker. The hospital will need long term commitment from someone they can finger for all aspect of the tanks' care. Electrical, water, salt, food, etc. all need to be accounted for as well.

From the hospital's perspective, this could only be considered if all those factors were suitable accounted for -and that's going to be difficult.

I hope this pans out but don't be discouraged if it doesn't. Bureaucracy is almost as powerful as the ocean itself.

I really like the idea as we all know how amazing and relaxing tanks can be.
however, I don't know how practical it will be.
I am not trying to speak for the other stores in the city, but that is a huge investment in time and money for a fishstore to commit to if you are looking at it as a donation.
that is a lot of man hours to maintain a 600 gallon tank.
I would look at supporting it with some free fish or corals..but wouldn't consider taking this on personally as a store sponsor.
once again, a great idea if it comes to reality.
but a huge commitment on all sides.

Hi Neal.

Yes.yes. yes, we will need all the help we can get, We are going to work hard at this and I will carry most of the costs. My main concern is giving the kid something cool... not a boring tank.. we have all seen that in our doctor and dentist's offices.

What I am looking for is backing and financial support to push this. We are not looking for anything other than passionate tank enthusiasts.

We are open to any suggestions.

Tim

Thinking the same here. As wonderful of an idea as I think it is... it is just not practical and as some one stated the money could be used for new/or better equipment.

I wish you all the best with this.

Maybe an RSM250 would be a more practical sell to the Stollery? All in one, easier to maintain, smaller footprint,etc

As someone that spends way too much time in the Pediatric ICU, I know that 50k worth of equipment is a much greater donation than a reef tank. That equipment kept my daughter alive last month, which is much more important that spending it on a tank. Yes, a tank is nice and kids like looking at it for a few minutes, but the suggested RSM might be a better alternative. Just my opinion as a parent of a kid that spends too many days in the hospital.

+1 totally agree with you Brad. Also, while its a nice thought, the money would be way better spent on equipment.

FYI I've seen really cool 30g reef fish tanks, that I'm sure the children would find interesting to look at.

One concern I see is what if the tank blows out, who covers the damage and what happens God forbid someone gets hurt.

Def nice to see someone wanting to do so much but I agree that maybe the hospital would do better with the money towards things they desperately need.

I guess my question is why? Sure, it's an impressive undertaking, but are we trying to impress someone? I know that supplying suction catheters isn't as grandeur, but trust me, there's a shortage. More times than not, I've had to come home to get supplies that the hospital just didn't have. My daughter needed 8 dosing pumps and a ventilator, not to mention just one food supplement that's $1000/day to supply. 50k can feed kids like that for less than 2 months.
And without full time supervision, a 600g tank is going to look like a large version of that dentist's tank in no time at all. Anyone that has a large tank will tell you it's not a part time job to maintain.
Really, if your heart is in helping the kids, buy them a biocube and some suction catheters.

Hi Brad,

That is a really good point. Really good. However the Stollery Foundation does look for donations and invest in plenty of therapeutic and ancillary components to the hospital as I'm sure you see every day.

There is no doubt that medical equipment is priority one.

Our group wants to give something special that will last for years to come.

The are endless details and considerations that have to be dealt with.

Please keep the comments coming as they will help this happen .

Thanks.

Hi Brad,

I should ask... would you be interested in helping with this project? I'm not here to impress anyone except the kids. If the campaign changes to include donating a tank and matching equipment that would be great.

We could really use someone with your real experience with the hospital.

Would you like to help mold the efforts?

Tim
ps. Just to put it out there my planning has and will be focused on the money side, that's my background. We are looking for help on the reef tank side and... thanks to Brad's comments, we need to focus on helping the kids medically as well.

If you are serious about this, I would suggest going and talking to the owner of AI.
they have tanks around the city in various public buildings and I am pretty sure that they do it all as advertisement..they also have full time staff running around doing tank maintenance.
I still think a 600 gallon is going to be a very steep hill and like many others have suggested, the money may be better spent elsewhere.
however, perhaps a smaller tank, like a 90 gallon FOWLR is something that is a more reasonable goal and I personally would be willing to help supply fish and LR towards its completion.
the biggest thing, IMO, to make this happen is so that it is not going to cost the hospital anything as I am pretty sure you will not be able to convince them that the money is well spent on fish verse kids....
I think that you are going to need to get a maintenance company on board that is willing to donate their time and supplies to maintain the tank...otherwise I don't see this happening.
As much as I like your enthusiasm, I personally think that taking people's money as donations at this point is a bit premature as there are many many steps in this procedure and I don't see this being a quick venture.
all the best
and like I said, Marine Experience will be willing to donate some fish and LR towards this if it reaches the point of filling the tank.
Neal

No, I'm far too busy with my own sick kid :) But honestly, I know for a fact that the most important thing to a kid with an occluded airway is O2. Not a reef tank in the hall that is full of cyano because all the staff keep feeding it. I know that when the RT can't find a 4.0 peds trach because they ran out, that getting air in my daughter is more important than fish. I don't want to be mean, but buying a reef tank for the sick kids is like buying a 84" LED flat screen for an African village that simply needs water. Really nice thought, but pointless and wasteful in the end.
And it's not just here, we're pretty well off. Montego Bay hospital doesn't even have regulators on their O2 tanks in ER. So many kids could benefit from medical supplies with 50k. For me, a tank donation just takes away from what they really need to get better and go home.
Speaking of home, I have 10k worth of medical equipment here. I know some families can't get what they need due to wait lists.
I know there is no funding for training programs for trached kids, so my wife and I offer free training through our local PEDs unit. We donated gear to a woman up Island that adopted a Vietnamese boy with a trach, and was struggling to find all the gear. We gave her free training because there just isn't any.
A reef tank, in the big picture of needs, is really wasted dollars.

Hi Neal,

We are working with a LFS that jumped on this fast. They also have tanks everywhere and have been instrumental in the high level planning. The ongoing maintenance has been the main can be dealt with. I will share more once we agree on their role in the project.

It is early, there is no doubt about that but that's the way I make things happen. The importance of raising some funds early is that corporate sponsors will come on board with more confidence.

I am going to PM you as well.

Thanks,

Tim

You see Tim, this is where it all falls apart. Corporate sponsors are doing it for advertising and tax right offs. No goodwill in there anywhere.
I guess there are 2 sides to the window, and you're on the outside looking in. But from inside, your plan is just ridiculous. Hospital staff will resent the money spent, parents with kids that suffer from being without gear will wonder how anyone could possibly waste money on a fish tank when kids are sick. Most kids are in and out, and could care less about fish. The kids that are in longer can't even get out to the hallway to see the fish, they're tied to a bunch of equipment that can't be moved.
I know you mean well, but you show complete lack of understanding of what is needed in the medical world. Supplies, training, more staff, faster turn around times in the lab. On the list of the most needed 1000 items in a hospital, a fish tank isn't on the list.
My daughter nearly died in November and the last thing I, her, my wife, the staff or anyone else cared about was fish. We need gear, we need meds, we need food and and we need staff. Not a fish tank. Seriously, maybe go talk to some people on the ground and ask how many think a tank outweighs life saving supplies.
I really don't mean to be an ass, but 50k worth of anything that isn't saving lives or improving the quality of life remaining is a complete waste of money. And no, when a kid just needs air in her lungs, a tank isn't improving anything :)

Well said and I 100% agree

Hi Brad,

This isn't my first time raising money. I've been in business for 20 years in Edmonton. Have you ever been to the Stollery? They have world class equipment and world class therapeutic amenities for kids or parents.

Believe me, I am not nieve and I'm not on the outside. I wouldn't be wasting my time if I didn't think we could do this. I'm a determined guy, you have no idea. A personal attack was a bit offside... But I know this wont be easy.

I know lots of people want to help...here are some ideas that just take a bit of time.

Parents with sick kids are stuck at the ward. They often live in other cities. Go up to the ward and offer to buy them dinner, then go get it for them. Be aware of allergies on the ward.
Offer parents your spare room for a weekend. It's gotta be better than the limited accommodations on the ward.
Donate pillows and blankets. We have a group of elderly women that make quilts for all the newborns. It's really appreciated. Get a similar group together in your area.
Toys and kids posters. Always in short supply. Books. Offer a book reading session for groups of kids.
Sign language. If you know it, teach it to the staff. my daughter is old enough to talk now, but none of the staff know sign. They all want to learn, but there is no funding for lessons. Many do it on their own, but it's tough without instruction.
Go ask the hospital how you can help. Lots of ways to assist the kids without spending money.
Lastly, if you have a bag of money to donate, ask the hospital how best to allocate it.(hint: they don't need any fish :))

If I'm not mistaken there are several aquariums already in the UofA maintained by a lfs.

Tim sorry if anything came across as personal, it wasn't. As a parent of a sick child, I get a bit frustrated, I didn't intend to attack you personally, just the idea :)
I have no doubt you can do this, I'm just saying you shouldn't. It's not a good use of money. That's all I'm saying.
I haven't been to Stollery, but I do know of it's reputation, especially for trached kids. I know families that use their services, and one of our old RTs moved there to work. They do have a world class facility.
However, I'm sure if you talk to the staff and administration, mention you have 50k and were thinking of supplying a tank and support, or do they think it could be better spent, they would pick the better spent.

As a sick child, I spent A LOT of time in the hospital back in the day that parents were not permitted in the room outside of visiting hours. And now, as my health deteriorates, most of my days are spent in bed. As a result, I got into aquariums and fishkeeping.

So my perspective isn't "practical" in the traditional sense but the power of an aquarium on a persons' well being is tremendous. Instead of focusing inward on the pain or suffering, I'm able to focus outward on the beauty of aquatic life.

Regardless of the equipment for physical needs, people tend to lose focus on the mental needs of the patient. The tension is high in these units from both the staff and parents. The child, unknowingly, feeds off of that stress causing actual physical harm to the healing process.

I support an aquarium for the peace of mind of the patient. Does it need to be 600 gallons? I don't know. I wish smaller tanks could be maintained in each of the rooms so that a child could redirect their thoughts outwards instead of inwards.

While it is heartwarming to see the wonderful cartoons and vistages painted on the walls of the rooms, it is entirely another thing to see and interact with a living biosphere.

Sometimes we chose utility over art only to forget that art has its' utility too. Best of luck with your project and it is a worthwhile venture.

I agree with brad 100%

I spend quit a bit of time in the hospital. I was in QT for a long time with nobody in and me not aloud out. The best thing that the hospital was able to do was supply a tv, DVD,and video games.

I would like to ask if you asked the staff and administrators there thought on this or what they really need

Just read post #6, he explained were he was in the process of this venture.

I agree with a lot of what you say, and especially the above comment. I've posted a couple of suggestions to reduce the stress on the parents, with utility type activities. As the parent, I can tell you this would help us a lot more than fish. I don't care about fish, I care the the Dr. just told me to be prepared for the worst. How do I not transfer that to my daughter? Fish aren't going to help.
I do agree that some sort of interaction would be great, so I suggested a biocube. Kids love Nemo, so set up a Nemo tank. Easy, cheap, maintainable.
We spent this Christmas Eve baking and soliciting Starbucks for coffee and took goodies and coffee to the staff and parents in the PEDs ICU. Pretty sure they enjoyed that more than Nemo :) It reduces the stress, makes the staff feel appreciated, helps the parents relax a bit knowing others know exactly what it's like to be stuck in the hospital with a sick kid. Cost me a bag of flour, some chocolate chips, a bit of gas and some time. Value= Priceless to the recipients.
Yes, the idea of a large reef on the ward is wonderful, but it's not practical. There are multiple stake holders, any one of which doing less than their part results in a total meltdown of the system. If I walked onto the ward and saw a 600g reef, I'd be awestruck. For 2 minutes. But if the hospital didn't have a 4.0 peds trach and my kid's is plugged, I'd be mad for a lot longer.
There are just so many better options to help. The tank idea is fine, but make it manageable. 50g or less. Look at some of the nanos we have posted here, they're just incredible. 600g @ 50k is wasteful and inappropriate for it's intention.

Ah yes. Thanks. I read the thread but must have brain lapsed as to what he said lol

SanguinesDream. Thank-you for summing up what I feel. I know this would be very important to the kids as a great distraction. I am also in a similar situation as you where I suffer with health issues and I too use my tanks as an escape from time to time.

Does it need to by 600g, no not at all. I will be working with the Stollery Foundation to figure out the best way we can help the kids in their opinion.

I think it would be wise to review everything that Brad has posted and make your decisions from there. He has so many good points.
Let's just say that hypothetically the hospital has all the supplies it requires and the tank could be installed with a reasonable maintenance plan, that still doesn't change the fact that people are at the hospital to get better, for their kids to get better. Nobody in their right mind is going to be staring at a fish tank. Either the patients are in and out, or they're in their room with limited mobility.
I'm sure everyone remembers being in the mall as a kid and wanting to go to a store at the other end, only to have their mom tell them it's too far, or being at the zoo and wanting to see the lions, but it's too late and you have to get going home. A reef tank in a hospital would only cause this same sort of dissention. It will result in parents and nurses having to explain to a sick child that they can't go see the tank, resulting in a sick child getting upset and feeling left out. How horrible would it be to suffer from a serious illness, and feel alienated for other reasons also.

50k can buy a lot of colouring books and video games.

one thing i would also be prepared for is that there are going to be stressed out parents and upset parents that are going to see this tank as a waste of money while their young kid cant get what s/he needs, im sure alot of people will love it and find it relaxing but to a parent whos kid is suffering and no money to supply what they need they will raise a good argument about where the money for the hospital goes , and even though it is donated alot of parents are going to assume the hospital paid for this to be brought in.

A few good points. Kids in QT can't go see it, that will upset them. Some parents will find it ridiculous and a waste of good money, as not everyone loves a good reef tank.
I know at our hospital, the layout does not have a common area, and kids can't wander away from their shared areas (security reasons). The halls also have a lot of beds and trolleys rolling around, breakage would be a concern.

However, the positive comments do have merit, and yes, I know my kid loves playing with the fish. But I'd really think smaller scale, cost wise and long term management wise.