Canuck Place Volunteers

This is Brad (and his Dad)

Brad's Dad is not sad.

Not sad brad's dad is glad.

glad brad's dad is glad...

...because brad.....

Brad Skeats receiving a 2012 Community Achievement Award from His Honour Steven L. Point, OBC, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and the Honourable Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development on April 25th

Longtime hospice volunteer recognized at 2012 BC Community Achievement Awards

VANCOUVER – Premier Christy Clark and Keith Mitchell, chair of the British Columbia Achievement Foundation, named this year’s recipients of the B.C. Community Achievement Awards on April 25 in Victoria, BC.  Canuck Place Children's Hospice was represented well by longtime volunteer Brad Skeats.

“I am pleased to recognize the outstanding contributions of this year’s Community Achievement Awards recipients,” said Premier Clark. “Charity begins at home, that’s what I’ve always believed and I want to thank these remarkable British Columbians for giving their time, dedication and energy to make a positive difference in their communities and our province.”

“The community achievement awards honour individuals who have made a significant contribution either as a volunteer or in the course of their work,” said Mitchell. “Today’s recipients contribute in many areas – health, education, multiculturalism, arts and culture, environment, philanthropy, and youth or seniors’ leadership, among others.”

Brad has been a Family and Bereavement Support Volunteer at Canuck Place for the past 12 (count 'em) years and also sits on the Volunteer Leadership Team. Giving back to the community runs in the Skeats family - Brad's father Rick is an active Garden Crew volunteer and helps to keep the hospice gardens in tip-top shape.

Brad says of the honour, "It was a special day for sure, something my family and I will remember for a long time. While waiting to be called to the stage I was reflecting upon some of the special moments from the past twelve years and couldn't help but feel quite emotional when remembering many of the children and families I've shared time with. I also couldn't help but think about how far I've come personally and as a volunteer over that time and how fortunate I am to have Canuck Place in my life and to have been able to represent the hospice at the BC Community Achievement Awards this year." 

Thank you, Brad, for all that you do - we are proud and privileged to have you in the Canuck Place family! 

Father & Son Volunteers - Brad & Rick

Father and son team up to help Canuck Place families

Rick Skeats and his son Brad not only share a close family bond, but the desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others.  Both provide the most fundamental act of philanthropy – they give of themselves, serving as volunteers.  Rick and Brad are two of more than 350 active Canuck Place Children’s Hospice volunteers, aged 16 to 81, from all walks of life and with varied talents, skills and abilities.

The father and son team help the children and families on our program in their own unique ways.

“I was first introduced to Canuck Place after suffering a spinal cord injury back in 1997,” says Brad Skeats.  “During my recovery a neighbour encouraged me to consider volunteering at the Hospice.  I found it to be such a positive and welcoming environment that I’ve been a family and bereavement support volunteer ever since.”

Canuck Place volunteers assist in bereavement/outreach, office reception, practical areas such as kitchen and housekeeping, transportation, gardening, outdoor maintenance, the school room and library, family/peer support and special events.

“Brad let me know when Canuck Place was recruiting for the garden crew,” remarked Rick Skeats.  “I taught him all about gardening when he was little so he thought I’d be a good fit.  I’m glad he did; volunteering with my son is incredibly rewarding.”

Volunteers enrich the Hospice in many important ways. They provide companionship and support to children and families that may be missing the support systems that help them at home.

“We rely on our dedicated volunteer force to ensure our programs and services continue to be offered free of charge to the families we care for,” says Leanne Freeman, Manager, Volunteer and Support Services.  “Volunteers provide a helping hand, a listening ear and a caring heart. They are indispensable members of our interdisciplinary team.”

Thanks to Rick, Brad and all of our volunteers, for your amazing contributions to Canuck Place!

http://www.canuckplace.org/news_events/media_centre/index/articles1202.php

Joan Ng

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Joan for almost 4 years.  She...and quite frankly ALL of the volunteers that I have worked with and met at Canuck Place are the epitome of fantastic humans....just sayin'....

Thank you, Joan for being there!...Remember...Elmo likes it when you shit....

http://www.canuckplace.org/become_a_volunteer/index/articles1344.php

Peace, love and Canuck Place cookies!

Joan Ng - Peer Volunteer

Today, we're chatting with Joan Ng, one of our dedicated Peer Volunteers. Peer Volunteers support the Family Volunteers and the professional care team by acting as a friend to children on our program and their siblings.  They play, do arts and crafts, play computer games, and generally interact with the child on a companion to companion basis.  Peer volunteers are trained and can be found around the hospice seven days a week between 9 am and 9 pm.

Read on for Joan's thoughts on Canuck Place...

How long have you been volunteering at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice?
Since August 2007...so almost 5 years and over 650 hours!

What’s your favourite kind of Canuck Place cookie?
The kind with cranberries and huge chocolate chunks. Omnomnom!

Describe yourself in five words.
Responsible, musical, empathetic, quirky, caring

Share your favourite or most meaningful moment you’ve experienced as a hospice volunteer.
One night at the hospice, I was granted the almighty task of looking after a very irritated, very uncomfortable infant boy. The nurses were having a difficult time calming him down and needed someone to soothe him before nebulizer time, and so into my lap he went. As I held him, he kept on crying and squirming like a little caterpillar, but he seemed to calm down a bit as I chattered to him in Chinese. When the nebulizer came, again he started wailing and flailing as I held the mask to his chubby, red, distraught little face, and he even grabbed the back of my mask-holding hand to wipe his nose with. But nebulizer fizzed to completion, and soon it was time for bed. After a bit more crying on his part and complete exhaustion of my limited repertoire of Chinese nursery rhymes on my part, he quieted down and fell asleep eventually.

About half a year later, I went up to the kids counter after dinner and was met by a little boy who was toddling around all by himself. At first I wasn't sure if I met him, but then I saw those same furrowed eyebrows that I had seen before, only this time, they weren't sitting above tearful eyes, but curious ones! Although he might not have recognized me, this was one of my favourite moments because it made me so happy to see him again and to know that he is doing well. Despite having volunteered at Canuck Place for some time, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the children grow up.

Why volunteer? What brought you to Canuck Place?
When I first started at Canuck Place, I was in my last year of high school, and knew that I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. Having the privilege to spend time with the children, family members, staff, and other volunteers gave me an insight into the unique healthcare niche in BC that is Canuck Place Children's Hospice.  It has helped me to grow as an individual, and has continually confirmed for me that my mission in life is to help others in a healthcare setting. Whether I am having difficult days throughout the school year or having stressful days at work, I am constantly reminded of this life goal that I discovered at Canuck Place and that motivates me to complete my pharmacy degree. A classmate, a few years younger than I, once said to me, "But you're too old to volunteer!" And I said to her, "One can never be too old to volunteer." Volunteering has always been an enlightening experience for me. I will continue to be a part of the Canuck Place volunteer family in the hopes of perhaps making a difference in children's lives, as they have already done so for me.

I love someone with autism

Dale made a logo.  His whole family (and us) have a shirt (each of us...the whole family (and us) have our OWN shirt).

I am in the middle of creating a website for a new venture in helping special needs kids to get active.  Not just active but exercising vigorously!

www.malcolmchrystal.com

Take a visit and be happy to send some feedback!

Malcolm

Who does the Adventure Challenge?

Here's a video advertising for last years races:


Canuck Place Revision from Tyson Hepburn on Vimeo.

and another about the house....ENJOY!

About Canuck Place from Canuck Place Children's Hospice on Vimeo.

ADVENTURE CHALLENGES 2012

I have signed up for my annual adventure abuses to my body!

September 15 (North Vancouver) and September 16 (Cultus Lake) will bring the 8th and 9th Canuck Place Adventure Challenges.

I wonder if I will still be on the BIKE?

As always I appreciate the visits to my blog and this year I hope to do some digging and learning about some of the people who have been involved in the Challenge...both working and participating in the races over the years.
More so, I appreciate the money my friends and family have donated to the House on my behalf.

Below is the link to my donation page...one for both North Van and Cultus Lake.  My goal is to raise a total of $2000 for this year.  I hope I am successful!

Sponsor me here

Thank you!
Malcolm

Adventure Challenge pICS

Here they are with videos that work:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109310903153442342104/albums/5654662032454564801

Scenes from Deep Cove:  batteries died after the kayak so no bike or run!!

Artistic photography at its finest.......

Leanne and Robert.  Part of the lifeline of Canuck Place

Transition calm.

Kayak calm...

Father and daughter team. Geramy and Madeline  

Here we go!

First time in a kayak.

International students volunteer too...Paula and Juliane

Floating Calmly

 

Geramy and Madeline.

 

Ready?

Stephanie ready for the start!

 

Katie and company going the wrong way.

Paula and Juliane Day 2.

What a blast these two days were.  We raised a ton of cash for Canuck Place.

Thank you to ALL who donated.

The Morning of the race

Dear Adventure Race Gods,
Could you make it rain any harder?  I am a fairweather adventure racer....

The Eve before the race!

I am definitely not ready:  no camera...no milk for coffee....no eggs for scrambled eggs....sigh.

To BC Teachers in my PLN! Job Action Blues?

JOB ACTION GETTING YOU DOWN?

I suggest that you use all of that EXTRA time you will be saving to not only do as Ms. Lambert states:

“I want to reassure parents that their children's teachers will be focused on excellence in our classrooms. Because we won't be doing all the many bureaucratic and administrative tasks that have been added onto our jobs, we'll have more time to teach, to offer individual attention to students, and to keep in close communication with parents,” to raise money for Canuck Place,Lambert said. I think that is what she meant.

Click on a picture, take a look, ask your class if they would like to help!

Malcolm 

 

I am just glad I made it to be an adult.

That would be Kyle (aka Saul).  Kyle has appeared a couple of times in the blog and a memorable night was the Boys Night Out with Elmo .

Kyle's statement sums up every hope of every kid in the house:  Glad to be an adult.

Sometimes we are reminded, by certain events, that Canuck Place is a hospice. Most of my experience at the house is one of life and of living.  Embracing Life is a statement that Canuck Place has adopted to express their reason for being.  It works.  Every moment in the house is one of living.  Even as a family gathers when their child is desperately ill and a departure from this life is imminent they are all embracing life.

I have known Kyle for six years and I was elated when I got an email from Joan and Kyle saying this weekend was his last.  My first thought was, "Cool.  Free dinner."  My second thought was "Which Kyle is this?"
I discovered last night he was the only Kyle in the house...however I did learn (while trying to prove there was more than one Kyle in the program) that names starting with 'K' are the MOST popular of the kids in the program.

So what does an aged out kid do when he leaves the program?  Apparently the first thing you do is get a tattoo:

His Grandfather (and dad?), and cousin all have the same tattoo!

You talk about getting ID (which he now has) so you can get beer.  Apparently there are places where you can get beer without ID.  Hmmmmm.

You talk about going to school.  In this case, Kyle has signed up to go and complete a Computer Graphics and Design program in Kelowna.

When a kid ages out of a program I always have mixed emotions.  Elation because, as Kyle said, "I get to be an adult", and sadness because the chances of crossing paths with a friend are reduced.

So, to Kyle:  It has been a pleasure, and remember...Elmo likes it when you shit.

This is Tony.  Volunteer extraordinaire.
I think he has been volunteering at Canuck Place before  there even was a Canuck Place

A call to Fraser Valley teachers

Who would like to help by participating and raising funds for the Canuck Place Children's Hospice that is coming to Abbottsford?  Take a look:  http://extendingourreach.ca/.

Throughout my teaching career I have been regarded by some as "an independent cuss", and I have been proud of that descriptor.  I have also been really independent in the Adventure Challenge and for the last 5 races have always done it alone.

This year I am ready to share.

If you would like to help out there are a couple of things that could happen:

1. Join the race as another 'independent cuss' and do it alone.
2. Join me and form a team.
3. Do the race vicariously through me (or the potential team) and help raise funds with your school/classroom.

Why?  

If you know somebody with a life limiting disease then you know the huge strain that it places on the family.  Respite care is a lifeline to these families.  

Many families travel  from the Okanagan, or Northern BC to Vancouver to stay at Canuck Place and being able to reduce the trip by a couple of hours is a huge deal.  

By adding a second house with another 10 beds doubles the current capacity of Canuck Place.

If you would like to help make a team of somewhat fit (no uber-fit applicants accepted), independent cusses please get in touch with me.

With regards to fitness levels to enjoy the race:  my training will be just enough to convince my wife that I will not drop dead during either of the races.  I prefer to call it minimalistic training.  If you are really fit and would like to join me you will have to pretend to be less fit than you really are.

The last thing about why a team would be good for me is that I need a bed to sleep in the night before the race......

Oh Thank Heaven for 7-11

...and I mean that.  They sponsored this:  The BC Parkway.  I couldn't find a site that did it justice but this one had some good pics and it looked like they were having fun....
I recommend this ride for anyone.  Neat thing is if you get bored, tired, or suffer bike malfunctions you are always within walking distance of a Skytrain station.

I thought it was a great ride.  Not too hard for this old body.  Of course I had to get there first so my trip started in North Delta, over the South and North Arms of the Fraser River via the Alex Fraser and Queensburough Bridges and into downtown New Westminster.

The trail starts around the 22nd Street Stn and winds its way gently uphill into Burnaby.  Central Park is the point where you can almost say it is all downhill from here.  I rode into downtown along excellent shared pathways, roadways and dedicated bike lanes...all the way to The Vancouver Convention Centre.  After picking up mail for my mum and dad I cycled up Hornby, over the Burrard Street Bridge and met up with a friend.  The grand plan was to go do some work for a friend...but my legs protested a little too much.

I have to show my wife that I am doing a little bit of training so she is a little more confident in my race readiness...and not ready to drop dead on the trails!

Save money: park your car and ride a bike

So I did that.  Left my car in Vancouver and after meeting my wife after her work we went home.  Of course we checked that car would be in a spot that it wouldn't get towed the next day.  Trouble is we didn't go back to town the next day....nor did I think once about where we parked the car.  Apparently the car DID have to be moved by 3pm on Monday.

Somebody moved it for us and charged me $150.

I was convinced that we had parked it somewhere just a little better and my tired legs protested as I turned the bike around to ride another 5km to the compound.

The theory was good.  Poor execution of the theory cost money.

If I were in a triathlon I could run in the Clydesdale category.

I think 100kg is the cut off to be a Clydesdale in a triathlon.
So I took my sorry excuse for a fine tuned athletic body out for a run.  It was a beautiful night and I was going to pop over the Burrard Street Bridge from Kits Pool and come back over the Granville Street Bridge and back to the pool.  I felt pretty good so I bypassed Granville Street and ran to the Cambie Street Bridge.  Still feeling pretty good I decided to run around Science World and then back to the pool.  This was an error in judgement  I kind of regret!  Now my run-run became a run-walk.  I also was going to miss my ride to the Jericho Sailing Club for beers (add 6k to my now walk-walk-run).

As I run I try and think about stuff.  The train of thought revolved around my (slowly dying) legs.  That's is what Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy is like.  Slowly dying legs.  Duchennes MD is a genetic disease that affects the gene that makes a structural protein important to muscles.  The muscles of the legs being the largest, symptoms related to standing and walking are first noticed.  From the age of 5 or 6 deterioration of the the leg muscles almost always leads to being wheelchair bound by 12.  DMD seems to creep north from the lower body up to the torso and arms.  Life expectancy for most is between their late teens or early twenties.
I know many boys from Canuck Place with DMD.

I miss the house.  I need to figure out some time to get back and be an active volunteer again!

I WAS IN THE VANCOUVER RIOT: a confession and apology

It appears that confessions and apologies are the new buzz words for the Vancouver Riot participants.  So here are my repentant statements.

I confess:  I was there.  I should have left because by standing in the middle of the crowds my wife and I were just adding to the problem, but we were held by a morbid fascination of what was happening.  As we were there we were also compelled to help.
My wife help some injured women and I removed crap that was being thrown around the streets and at the windows of the Bay.  Here is my account of what happened on Chris Wejr's blog

My apology:
I am sorry that I could not have done more.
I am sorry that my actions weren't enough to convince more people like Victor to defend our city from the loogans that were intent on smashing it.

My being there was not a mistake.  I was not emboldened to do these things because of intoxication.  I made choices to do things and I will stand by those choices, even if I got in the way and prevented  people from making there own choices to be a participant in the riot.

An apology does not make a damn bit of difference to the acts undertaken.
So please refrain from apologising for your ill thought choices.

Why am I making a statement like this on a page for the Canuck Place Adventure Challenge?
 Opportunity!
If you google Vancouver riot apology canuck place it might bring you here!

I will be kayaking, riding, and running in TWO races on Saturday and Sunday in late September.  I am required to raise $1000 for each race.  If you would like to donate I would be most grateful!
If you would like to join me...we can create Team Riot!
Thank you!
Malcolmhttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2198919891577&set=o.121837081234162&type=1&

The Money started to roll in...

Ok.  Not quite as dramatic as that but it started with $10.  One of my grade niners came out of his final exam and was in my room saying bye.  He takes out his wallet and pulls out a ten spot.  "Here", he says with a dismissive nod of the head.  I couldn't figure it out, as he kept waving me and the ten dollar bill away from his as if it had some communicable disease. 
"Its for your race.", he says.  Cool!  So I quickly retreated and wrote his name on the bill and stapled it to the wall.  That $10 is now $36!


Thanks Adam, Sam, and Kira!

Yikes!!

I am not sure if I am mentally well.  I know I am not physically well.  So I have had a long and serious discussion with myself  (see above) and realise that doing TWO  Canuck Place Adventure Challenge races in two days is a terrible idea...but I have come up with bad ideas before and they haven't turned out that bad in the end.

Saturday September 17th in North Vancouver and Sunday September 18th at Cultus Lake in Chilliwack!

In the ensuing 2 months I have to try fix my bike, start running, and do my normal kayaking challenging training regimen:  the day of the race 4k.

I would love your support.  Canuck Place Children's Hospice is one of the most beautiful places I have had the honour to spend time at.

Why are there two races?  Canuck Place is growing into Abbotsford.  The current house serves many families across BC and by having a house in the Fraser Valley it will make travel much easier for those families in the interior reaches of the province.  So it seems fitting:  2 hospices = 2 races.

Please help me raise money for the families of BC that belong to the Canuck Place family.

Malcolm

Hello

Hello!
It appears that this blog may have run its course.  I have not volunteered at the house for a very long time as I have undertaken a new volunteer position in a local halfway house for Corrections Canada!

I see that people keep popping in to see the site...thank you!

If you ever feel in a charitable mood...be sure to click here:  CANUCKPLACE.ORG and tell them Malcolm sent you!!