Shoppers Points: Vitamin Program

Hey everyone! I am heading back to the DR this Christmas, and again in May. I am going to want to start a vitamin program for the kids that I work with. Many of them are malnourished and get sick often. Children's vitamins could really help.

I am trying to collect as many Shoppers Optimum points as I can to purchase the vitamins before I leave in December. My goal is to collect enough vitamins to start 5 children on a 6 month program; this will be about 900 vitamins. I will try to bring more in May, to add more kids to the program and to extend it past 6 months.

If you have any Shoppers Optimum points you can donate to this, thank you so much! It is really easy. Just go to the Shoppers website and click on Shoppers Optimum, and then Transfer Points (http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/english/optimum/transfer_points/index.html) you will have to enter in your card information, and then put in my card info. You will need the last 9 digits of my card, which are: 893 742 330

Thank you SO much to anyone who can donate their points!

*ADDITIONAL INFO: WOW... I am already at 120,000 points- thank you to everyone!! That is almost $200 worth of vitamins!!!! Thank you also to those who posted it on their facebooks... The more points, the more kids we can provide with vitamins!!We are going to hold a nutrition class so the parents know the value of their kids taking the vitamins. We will also moniter it- handing 7 vitamins out weekly. The program should start in January, after I go to the DR and bring all the vitamins. I hope to bring enough for at least the first 6 months of the program.

Jod's 4th Bday

Today is Jod's 4th birthday!!! He and his parents came over for dinner and he was just so excited; he has never had a birthday party before. It was a Spiderman/Batman theme; Spiderman cake, Batman plates/napkins, and a Spiderman toy (this was his favourite; he also got trains and a train track, a book, a photo album with photos of him, Spiderman underwear and pajamas). He had such a fun time and as always, loved being the center of attention!

Thanksgiving Photos

Angry Boy

Please go to THIS BLOG and read the post about their son, who was adopted from Haiti. It is a really heartbreaking story. The mother, and writer of the blog, is asking that readers spread the word and post this wherever possible; both to help her find a new home for her son, and to raise awareness about RAD. My heart breaks for the whole family, but in particular for him. I see so many of the kids I have worked with in the DR, Haiti, and Ethiopia, in Angry Boy's eyes. This is reality for SO many kids around the world.

Tsehay: Annual Update

I was excited to get this update on Tsehay this month. Her health is good and her talent is reading (love to hear that). Her chore at home is collecting water. Her favourite food is abeyitu (have never heard of this Ethiopian dish- will have to look into what it is). She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She likes running and her pet animal is an ox. Her favourite school subject is english. She is doing very good in math, Oromifa, and english... good in science, social studies, art, and music... fair in sports. Last I had heard, she was kept back in grade 1 for not having regular attendance. She has been going to school regularly and I guess they decided to move her up to grade 2. If she passes her exams, she will go to grade 3.

Another Catch Up...

So, I feel like I SHOULD post, but I haven't really felt like it! I am not decided yet on if I will keep this blog going or not. I will definitely be posting more often at www.heroholiday07.blogspot.com as my Christmas trip approaches, and especially as I move there in May! But I guess I will do a post here, and we will see. I used to love blogging on here, but I am not sure why I haven't felt like it since the summer!

School is good... I LOVE my classes. I haven't had classes that I really love since, ever. Human rights is my favourite. Or maybe Spanish. I love Spanish. 95% of the time when I say something I translate it in my head to Spanish to see if I can. I so badly want to be fluent. I am practicing, a lot... it takes a while though. Give me another year and I hope I will speak fairly well. Right now it is a lot of 'speak slower please' until I get it... but I do eventually get it! Also have Non Violence, Storytelling in East Asian Religions (sounds weird... and it is, but sort of interesting), and physical anthro (the only one I don't like, but it is a requirement). I am still working at my old job, and this week just got hired for a 2nd job at my University, calling alumni to get money for my school (ugh... kind of nervous). So between the two I will have just over 20 hours. I want enough to pay for rent/utilities/food/extras and have enough to save a little for May. It kind of freaks me out because I want to stay in the DR when I go in May for a long time... BUT probably won't have a job. Not sure how it will all work out. I may have to look into getting a job while there, I am not sure. I guess only time will tell, I haven't really started worrying about it yet (and am going to try to adapt the 'Dominican time' attitude and not let it get me stressed out at all!)

In other news... Alex and I broke up. Still on really good terms though and very good friends. I am insanely busy over at Blogs for a Cause www.madebynikki.blogspot.com with the September discount I am holding. It is a big relief as business had been slow for a while. I need that money to fund my trips, so I am glad it is picking up again, and I love designing blogs, and getting to know a lot of different people through them (especially people who have adopted, which I am really interested in).

So, what have I been up to these past few weeks? Just getting back into the swing of things at school, really. My friend Heather won 4 tickets to a Jays game so she took Alex, Kerry, and I (it was the day before Alex's 20th birthday). I am not a baseball fan but we had lots of fun.




Last week we brought Jod to get a Halloween costume. He picked out Batman, and I am not sure I have ever seen him so excited. He thought he WAS Batman.

Ummmm. Ya. So that is life here! Not too exciting but figure it has been a month since I last updated so I should! Plus, I am at my parent's house tonight and trying to relax a little! I smacked my toe on the door and can't walk. And have been sick all week and busy, busy, busy with work and blogs and homework, so I am just going to watch John Q and SLEEP IN tomorrow, yay. Hopefully the swelling on my toe goes down... it is really hurting to walk! Okay, I may be being a little dramatic about it but I swear it hurts (contrary to what Alex thinks, as he was convinced I was faking until he saw it was swollen).

OKAY that's all. Might be updating in the future, not really sure! If not, you can always find me at www.heroholiday07.blogspot.com

Camping Photos