Cycle #1 – Action Post #4

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my fourth Action post of the year! To give everybody a background on my project, I lead a club called Miracle Movement at school. The goal of our club is to raise awareness on pediatric health. We do this by initiating campaigns and hosting small fundraisers in support of BC Children’s Hospital.   

In Ms. Stuart’s TEDx talk, we learned that “Everything is complicated” and how giving can hurt. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves who really benefits from philanthropy: the giver or receiver? It’s important to think about charitable giving in order to ensure a positive impact. From the lesson, I recognize the complexity of my action. The reality is that I benefit off my actions of running a club. For example, I profit off by qualifying for certain scholarships, or being able to reach for other volunteer/work opportunities. Perhaps the members in my club only participate in the events because they need service hours to graduate? Perhaps not all the money I donate goes to the causes I want and instead goes to something else (such as advertising and transferring money fees)?  

For my personal action, I believe that it is sustainable. Although actions, such as donating our funds, may not be endurable over a long period of time, the collaboration between the peers, the regular meetings and the handwork will persevere. An example to how this club is sustainable is due to the several regular members that show up consistently. In previous years, Miracle Movement had only 5 regular members, but with teamwork, the club has boasted to 20+ regular members in the 2019-2020 phase. Their eagerness to add to the ideas and our continuous record-breaking efforts (from # of new members to # of sales) will continue to push Miracle Movement to higher heights.   

Although I will be graduating in the next year, the current members will strive to keep the club running and continue to work for our vision. Our awareness campaigns will add to appreciation of the work BC Children’s has done, which can have a lasting mental impact. As for our donations, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although our donations may only have a small impact compared to their total donations received every year, we are still contributing to their sustainable facilities, institutes and programs that they offer. This action is not only providing opportunity for my peers, but also offers it to the charity we donate to.  

To ensure that I am making a positive impact that I intend, it is crucial to make sure every member of Miracle Movement is involved. Although our vision is to support pediatric health, it is also to ensure everyone is engaged and wanting to create an impact. Consequently, encouraging and offering members opportunities can help create this impact. For example, during the bake sale, it was crucial to get people inspired of the impact we can help create and money we can raise. This resulted in several members baking and bringing in their food items. Offering members the opportunity to connect with previous patients of BC Children’s will have them also passionate about planning our year end event (please view my Action Post #1 for more information). 

Another important aspect to consider before supporting a charity is to research their vision. By understanding the background of the charity you want to support, you can compare your goals to their vision.  

My research: 

As I’ve mentioned, the charity I support is BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. It is a foundation based on British Columbia Children’s Hospital which is a medical facility in Vancouver, British Columbia (1, 2). Their mission is exclusively focused on the health and care of children (3).  

They ensure that every child receives not only aid for their physical issue, but compassionate care for their emotional needs. BC Children’s doesn’t aim to treat children because they understand the importance of care and keeping their patients healthy. Supporting this charity allows experts to pursue research and create benefits for kids (4). BC Children’s also hosts events to raise money for their causes. These events include galas and lotteries. Last fiscal year, 66.6 million dollars was contributed to BC Children’s and put towards it’s facilities, institutes and health programs (5). Funds were distributed in the following example programs: 

• Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children Enhancement Initiative: Sunny Hill Centre is a children’s rehabilitation and development service facility. This initiative holds the goal of enhancing the center for the specific needs of Sunny Hill’s kids and their families.   
• Children’s Healing Experience Project at Sunny Hill: This project features artworks throughout Sunny Hill to create a patient centered healing environment.  
• Rolling with ADHD Launches: This program offers families with ADHD children access practical tools and parenting strategies. 
• Specialized Equipment: Monetary donations help fund equipment especially designed for children in need of medical attention. 
• Transforming Diabetes Treatment: This initiative supports research on childhood diabetes which will help improve treatments and care.  
• A 3D View Into New Possibilities: This project is a 3D technology program that will offer visionary support tailored to the individual needs of a patient.  
• Empowering the Brightest Minds: This program offers support to clinicians and researchers in exploring the field in medicine.  
• Helping Kids Live Healthier Lives: This initiative communicates the importance of healthy living. 
• Keeping Kids Safe: This program’s efforts go towards improving the safety of children in British Columbia.  
• Enhancing Mental Health Care: This initiative pushes to support children with mental health conditions (6).  

Because this charity releases its financial statement every year, donors can see where their money is spent (5). Income statements clearly show the overall revenues, expenses and overall profit of the organization (6). As a result, donors can ensure their money is going to the right causes (5, 6). Please view the following website for BC Children’s financial statement from 2012 to 2019: https://www.bcchf.ca/financial-statements . 

(1) http://www.cwhn.ca/en/node/15828  

(2) http://www.bcchildrens.ca/contact  

(3) http://www.bcchildrens.ca/about/vision-mission-values 

(4) https://www.bcchf.ca/priorities 

(5) https://www.bcchf.ca/where-your-money-goes 

(6) https://www.bcchf.ca/annual-reports  

(7) https://pocketsense.com/income-statements-important-8437094.html  

Thank you for reading,  

Alison