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.