BC Children's Hospital - Making Christmas Merrier

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,520]

MLP Forums is holding a charitable event to make Christmas over at the BC Children's Hospital merrier for their young patients. Following up on last week's brainstorm thread, this one will now serve as the event's official home.

 

So far, we've collected $370.00 CAD and a copy of Sonic Colors for the Wii. The last day for all contributions is Sunday, December 11, 2011.

 

Contribution Instructions

 

To donate money, please use the following PayPal link:

 

To donate a physical item, send me (Feld0) a private message or an email at feld0 [at] feld0 [dot] com.

 

If you have any questions, please post them in this thread or get in touch through one of the above methods.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Open the spoiler for an FAQ! More questions and answers may be added as needed.

 

 

Q: What is the goal of this event?

 

A: There are two parts to it: a fundraiser and a drive for physical gifts. We hope that a meaningful gift from MLP Forums to BC Children's Hospital will make the holidays better for them and their patients. Besides, it's also a perfect chance to show the world how kind and caring bronies can be!

 

 

Q: How much money are you looking to raise?

 

A: As much of it as we can!

 

There is no upper limit to the amount of money BC Children's Hospital will accept - like any other non-profit organization, they'll find a use for every last cent of it.

 

 

Q: What non-monetary gifts will be accepted?

 

A: My Little Pony toys, video games, and iTunes gift cards are all fair game. The iTunes gift cards are in particularly high demand, according to the contact I have at the hospital.

 

Any toys will need to be washable - so no fancy glowing ponies that run on batteries.

 

But beyond that, there is actually a whole slew of items they will accept. My contact sent me their official 2011 wishlist, and they'll happily accept anything from it! Download it below:

 

CL Wish List 2011.pdf

 

 

Q: I'm a talented artist and would love to help out, but I can't donate any money. How can I contribute?

 

You can take commissions here, on deviantART, or any other site you go to and put all proceeds towards the fundraiser! Please contact me if you'd like to do this.

 

 

 

Q: I can't draw to save my life, but I still want to help out! What can I do?

 

Even if you can't contribute anything whatsoever to the event itself, you can still help us out by promoting it anywhere you can! Link to this thread in your signature on other forums, tweet about it, tell your Facebook friends, shout out in your personal blog - every little bit will help!

 

The visitors you attract will not even need to be registered members to contribute - the PayPal link works for guests, and I provided my personal email address above.

 

 

Q: Can I donate the old teddy bear I had as a child?

 

A: No.

 

BC Children's Hospital will not accept any used items for hygienic reasons. Anything we give them will have to be brand new and in its original packaging.

 

 

Q: Will MLP Forums keep any of the money I donate?

 

A: No.

 

The money you donate through the PayPal link in this post will be given directly to BC Children's Hospital. This fundraiser is completely separate from the donations we accept towards the upkeep of the site.

 

 

Feel free to ask any further questions in this thread!

[Klopp 2,050]

Saturday December 10th... Perfect, 2 days after payday

 

I'll have something money sent in then

[Krall 263]

Well, I don't have any MLP toys or video games I could send in, so my PayPal donation is swimming its way through the intertubes to you now.

[Zoop 8,384]

My pocket change, I throw it in your general direction.

 

There. They can totally buy well over a dozen tacos with the money provided. Or a MLP toy or two, I guess.

[Klopp 2,050]

My pocket change, I throw it in your general direction.

 

There. They can totally buy well over a dozen tacos with the money provided. Or a MLP toy or two, I guess.

 

That's the one thing all Childrens Hospitals need is more tacos.

 

And possibly some toothpicks. Can never have enough toothpicks.

[Tyger 213]

I can donate money, but my PayPal account is limited due to security reasons and I don't feel comfortable giving out my personal security info just to take the limit off my account.

 

Is there any other way I can send money to you via Skype or any other methods you may have in mind? If not, I can be generous and buy brand new gifts and send them your way, but I'll need alot of assistance on sending them (considering I am very dumbfounded on mailing and shipping).

[Spock 91]

I currently have about 80 dollars. Problem? it's in my moms paypal. I also have things on the list (dsi, ds games, ect.) but nothing brand new. I'll see if I can figure something out, though.

[Feather Spiral 1,892]

I'm still not letting go of the gift art/poetry matter. Get someone with negotiation skills and give them the hospital's number, because obviously, you're not likely to try (nor even get the opportunity in the first place).

 

"Well, if they say no, they say no. I'm afraid we'll have to content ourselves with that. However, one way the artistically-minded could still contribute is by doing commissions and asking the fee to be sent to the fundraiser instead of them. Fluttershy suggested this earlier in the thread, and it sounds like a good compromise to me."

 

1) I don't think anyone would commission art/poetry from me, at least not until several days pass, because I'm not known for being an active artist. Even if I advertised it to speed up the process, those who might be interested will still take a while because they have their own lives.

2) Every single person I know of has a real life, so they probably intend to spend their money on something for their own family or friends, anyway. With luck, I could find someone who has money to spare or no one else to buy gifts for, but I wouldn't count on that.

3) In the unlikely event that some people still accept to make a request, I can't spare enough time to make more than two in the remaining time.

Granted, the latter can be solved by asking for payment up front (thus being able to donate before the deadline), and THEN doing the commissions. But that'd put a lot of pressure on me the very second I return from Turkey, since I'm not even sure if I'll be free or have to re-take some exams.

 

I'll still try taking commissions on DA. Those who don't have an account there can PM me, AFTER reading my journal.

I'm also donating as much as I can right away without raising TOO much suspicion.

 

But most of all, I'll get on with my poetry (especially considering I've already started) and PM it to you. If I get no commissions asked by that time, it'll be my only contribution.

And if it's still not accepted, that'll only prove my point that they're making up lame excuses to make their so-called "committee" work less.

 

 

Sorry if I sound rude or obsessed, but whomever spoke to you obviously doesn't care about my moral support. I'll only back off if I'm given a reasonable argument, and so far, they're all invalid in my book.

And before anyone says it, "you're a stranger" is NOT a good reason for refusing something that took time and effort.

Edited December 1, 2011 by Feather Spiral

[Nico 790]

Well, I wish I had more I could donate, but $5 is all I can offer. It really is a shame that the normal 'donating art' idea didn't go through, and I am afraid that I can't really take commissions at the moment (though I might be able to soon).

 

 

I'm still not letting go of the gift art/poetry matter. Get someone with negotiation skills and give them the hospital's number, because obviously, you're not likely to try (nor even get the opportunity in the first place).

 

I know you didn't intend to sound rude, but that comment most certainly was. I understand that you're intent on making poetry for this, but it isn't something to get bent out of shape about. Feld0 is trying his hardest to get things to work for this charity, you have to understand that. He's already busy all the time otherwise and he can't always be bothered to keep trying for things that just aren't going to happen.

 

It isn't a lack in Feld0's negotiation skills, I'm sure. There is just a high chance that a Children's Hospital doesn't want to take poetry as a form of donation. It's just not something children are usually interested in.

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,520]

I can donate money, but my PayPal account is limited due to security reasons and I don't feel comfortable giving out my personal security info just to take the limit off my account.

 

Is there any other way I can send money to you via Skype or any other methods you may have in mind? If not, I can be generous and buy brand new gifts and send them your way, but I'll need alot of assistance on sending them (considering I am very dumbfounded on mailing and shipping).

 

You could always try opening a new PayPal account.

 

I'm afraid I can't really accept money any other way - PayPal is probably the most secure method for both of us. However, if you have access to a credit card, you can make a donation without a PayPal account by clicking the link I highlighted in the attached screenshot:

 

I currently have about 80 dollars. Problem? it's in my moms paypal. I also have things on the list (dsi, ds games, ect.) but nothing brand new. I'll see if I can figure something out, though.

 

Talk to your mom and explain to her what you'd like to donate towards. She just might turn out to be cool with it. You'd have to have some pretty heartless parents for them to seriously criticize the idea of donating to a children's hospital.

 

I'm still not letting go of the gift art/poetry matter. Get someone with negotiation skills and give them the hospital's number, because obviously, you're not likely to try (nor even get the opportunity in the first place).

 

 

"Well, if they say no, they say no. I'm afraid we'll have to content ourselves with that. However, one way the artistically-minded could still contribute is by doing commissions and asking the fee to be sent to the fundraiser instead of them. Fluttershy suggested this earlier in the thread, and it sounds like a good compromise to me."

 

1) I don't think anyone would commission art/poetry from me, at least not until several days pass, because I'm not known for being an active artist. Even if I advertised it to speed up the process, those who might be interested will still take a while because they have their own lives.

2) Every single person I know of has a real life, so they probably intend to spend their money on something for their own family or friends, anyway. With luck, I could find someone who has money to spare or no one else to buy gifts for, but I wouldn't count on that.

3) In the unlikely event that some people still accept to make a request, I can't spare enough time to make more than two in the remaining time.

Granted, the latter can be solved by asking for payment up front (thus being able to donate before the deadline), and THEN doing the commissions. But that'd put a lot of pressure on me the very second I return from Turkey, since I'm not even sure if I'll be free or have to re-take some exams.

 

I'll still try taking commissions on DA. Those who don't have an account there can PM me, AFTER reading my journal.

I'm also donating as much as I can right away without raising TOO much suspicion.

 

But most of all, I'll get on with my poetry (especially considering I've already started) and PM it to you. If I get no commissions asked by that time, it'll be my only contribution.

And if it's still not accepted, that'll only prove my point that they're making up lame excuses to make their so-called "committee" work less.

 

 

Sorry if I sound rude or obsessed, but whomever spoke to you obviously doesn't care about my moral support. I'll only back off if I'm given a reasonable argument, and so far, they're all invalid in my book.

And before anyone says it, "you're a stranger" is NOT a good reason for refusing something that took time and effort.

 

 

Please chill out a little, FS. I think Fluttershy captured my stance on the situation quite well so I'm going to re-quote him for you:

 

 

I know you didn't intend to sound rude, but that comment most certainly was. I understand that you're intent on making poetry for this, but it isn't something to get bent out of shape about. Feld0 is trying his hardest to get things to work for this charity, you have to understand that. He's already busy all the time otherwise and he can't always be bothered to keep trying for things that just aren't going to happen.

 

It isn't a lack in Feld0's negotiation skills, I'm sure. There is just a high chance that a Children's Hospital doesn't want to take poetry as a form of donation. It's just not something children are usually interested in.

 

 

Really, the secretary made it quite clear that they just aren't looking for creative gifts. Whether you accept their reasons for that or not, their stance seems pretty firm on the matter and I have better things to be doing with my time than arguing over the phone to convince them they need gifts that they don't want.

[Apple Bloom 2,915]

I donated $5.00 (CAD). I would donate more but that's all I can do right now.

[Feather Spiral 1,892]

TL;DR version of the post: I'll still finish the poem I started and, whether it's accepted by the hospital or not, it'll go through my DA to other sick children. Because I think that, even if the hospital doesn't want non-material and non-financial support, it doesn't mean the kids themselves can't appreciate poetry.

______________________________________________________

 

Just because I said "someone with negotiation skills" doesn't mean I think you don't have any, Feld0. I just meant to say that you probably hadn't insisted enough, maybe you just didn't want to push them. I'm sorry if it came out as rude, but it's really unfair (on the hospital's behalf) to let someone's enthusiasm go to waste like that.

In any case, if no one ever bothers to even TRY, we'll never know if they were being honest about not being able to accept creative works.

 

So I'm still writing the poetry and sending it, and I'm expecting you to TRY to give it to them.

All you have to say, is that one of your contributors was being unreasonable and refusing to listen to you. Or just put it as an "Easter egg" in a toy/game's box.

If they accept, I was right in insisting, and that'll make at least one child happier. If they refuse, you were right in not pushing, and I can still put it up on my DA to spread it.

See, it's a win/win situation.

 

You've probably noticed I'm touchy on the matter. As I said before, I apologize for sounding rude, but please try to understand my stance as well.

Material goods are not enough in my book since anyone with a bit of money to spare can get them.

I understand material and financial support, and I have donated already. However, mental support is just as important, especially for children who can't enjoy company so often (working parents, social anxiety, busy friends...)

Creative works are a more reliable way for psychological support because, unlike objects that come from standardized assembly lines, they take real effort and talent.

 

And if the hospital thinks their patients wouldn't be interested in poetry, I wanna know what makes them say that. I of all people, who have always loved poetry, even as a little kid, cannot accept such a general statement.

If they're just making assumptions from lack of experience (poetry isn't something often given to patients, even adult), generalizations based on studies among sick children (in which case I can hope for a couple exceptions in that hospital), or speaking from their personal knowledge of the children (the only argument I will ultimately accept to retract my gift).

Considering hospitals tend to be rather big, I highly doubt it's the latter. Which leaves the ignorant assumption and study generalization theories, neither being an obstacle to TRYING.

 

(On a sidenote, an alternate PayPal account wouldn't solve my problem. What my father tends to keep track of is my bank account, not PayPal. He's being less and less nosey as I grow older, but I'd rather not take chances.)

Edited December 2, 2011 by Feather Spiral

[Spock 91]

I know they would be fine with a donation to the hospital, it's that it goes through this site that I'm worried about. But as I said, I'll try to find a way.

[Tyger 213]

I may have to resort on having to send gifts instead of money. My credit card was attached to my PayPal account and I'm not authorized to send money with my credit card, even I'm sending money as a guest.

 

You could always try opening a new PayPal account.

 

I'm afraid I can't really accept money any other way - PayPal is probably the most secure method for both of us. However, if you have access to a credit card, you can make a donation without a PayPal account by clicking the link I highlighted in the attached screenshot:

 

[TallBrony91 28]

Hey I just want to say once again that this is really an amazing thing that has been made and we've almost made $180 already?

Damn that is fantastic, it makes me feel happy when something like this to help kids or people starts up, and people everywhere around the globe come together as one to help the ones that need a little love, care and support I am so glad this is going really well, this is why I love this time of year.

 

I hope my $50 got to you ok Feld and I hope the kids love playing Sonic Colors, mostly saw on the wish list Mario games so I thought why not get the children Sonic as he is like the most WAY PAST COOL VIDEO GAME HERO EVER!!!!!

(You can tell i'm a Sonic Fanboy lol XD)

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,520]

Hey I just want to say once again that this is really an amazing thing that has been made and we've almost made $180 already?

Damn that is fantastic, it makes me feel happy when something like this to help kids or people starts up, and people everywhere around the globe come together as one to help the ones that need a little love, care and support I am so glad this is going really well, this is why I love this time of year.

 

I hope my $50 got to you ok Feld and I hope the kids love playing Sonic Colors, mostly saw on the wish list Mario games so I thought why not get the children Sonic as he is like the most WAY PAST COOL VIDEO GAME HERO EVER!!!!!

(You can tell i'm a Sonic Fanboy lol XD)

 

Yep, your donation's part of the total! I'm going to track down and buy Sonic Colors as you requested as soon as I can. Thanks for your support. Spread the word about this fundraiser if you can!

[Senn555 242]

Sent in $9.94 to make the total $187.50.

 

Feld, I'm not sure if you've heard the news regarding PayPal and Regretsy? It wasn't good - I'd just like to advise you to be careful with whatever you're doing that involves PayPal. (I'd rather *not* be using PayPal, but they appear to have such a monopoly on e-commerce that most people are left with no other choice)

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,520]

Sent in $9.94 to make the total $187.50.

 

Feld, I'm not sure if you've heard the news regarding PayPal and Regretsy? It wasn't good - I'd just like to advise you to be careful with whatever you're doing that involves PayPal. (I'd rather *not* be using PayPal, but they appear to have such a monopoly on e-commerce that most people are left with no other choice)

 

Great to have your support, Senn!

 

And no, I hadn't heard about the Regretsy story. But I just looked it up and... frankly, I'm shocked. It's not the first horror story I've heard about PayPal, but I (thankfully) haven't run into any problems with them yet and they happen to be the most convenient and safe payment option I'm aware of. If anyone can propose a good alternative method of collecting money, I'm open to suggestions.

 

I'll get a receipt for the donation from the hospital and post it up here to prove the money made it to them.

 

By the way, at TallBrony91's request, I grabbed a copy of Sonic Colors for the Wii with part of his donation. It came out to $22.21, which I've subtracted from the total in the OP.

[Senn555 242]

If anyone can propose a good alternative method of collecting money, I'm open to suggestions.

 

I've heard of others mentioned in the past - Google Checkout, Amazon Payments, WePay, and AlertPay. I haven't really looked into the terms and restrictions of any of them yet, however.

[Zoop 8,384]

The dollar amount, it is moving backwards. This must be corrected.

[Feather Spiral 1,892]

In Soviet Canada, hospitals donate to you.

[Josh 107]

I donated Merry christmas!

[Klopp 2,050]

Donation sent! No more charities for a while please, I have to keep SOME of my money for myself

(Naw don't worry I got plenty for now )

[Doctor XFizzle 8,651]

November profits + some proceeds from my xbox auction on eBay ahoy!

 

I wanted to round it off and make the total donations $300.00 even but I forgot about the currency rate silliness

[Feather Spiral 1,892]

Currency rates are for dummies. And mules.

Real stallions just type the number and send it.

Edited December 9, 2011 by Feather Spiral