Does the Portland area have A Children's Hospital?

[SailorNaboo]

The reason I am asking this is I believe that starting withour third yeat as a convention, we should designate a Con Charity.  (Sakura's is "The Make a Wish Foundation).

The reason I'm interested in if Portland has a Children's Hospital is that I'm very impressed with Gabe and Tyco's work with Penny Arcade up in Seattle.  It was announced at their convention last month that they are in the process of geering up their own charity, "Child's Play" which got over $200,000 in new toys and donations for the local children's hospital, to taking it nationally and making it so donations can go to a designated hospital in the town you select!

It's a charity that brings some of the things we love (or at least like), (Video Games and consoles) to little kids who are stuck in the hospital for months with cancer or other things like that something to do.  If you are 10 and waiting in line for your next Chemo treatment that you know will make you sick and cause more of your hair to fall out, it's it nice for someone to be able to hand the kid a gameboy with a rated E game to take his or her little mind off what is to come next?

There are tons and tons of other chartities that do wonderful things, but, in my opinion, this one appeals to the core of the kind of person that would also go to an anime convention.  1. Helping kids, and 2. Doing it in a way that shows all people that like and play video games aren't just 'in training' to be serial killers, that we are human and want to help.

Opinions Please:

[MistressLegato]

Doernbecher (however that is spelled) is a HUGE Hospital for children in Portland.  They do a lot of great stuff, so it shouldn't be too difficult to do something for them.  When I was in High School we did coin drives for them every year.

[Hero]

Sounds great!!

[ndarkeral]

Doernbecher is like, uber famous, as is OHSU. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it already.

Doernbecher also has a ton of charities already and is doing very well for themselves, and presents and things abound there. They've got a bingo room and most kids win prizes each time they're down there. My sister comes home with lots of stuffed animals. They have internet computers and schooling rooms.

I don't think giving them video games would work though, because Doernbecher has consols there already for the kids to use in their own rooms. I actually lent Faith my ps2 memory card while she was there last time and never got it back because it was stolen. The consoles themselves are chained down to rolling carts...

Doernbecher does really well for itself already, and there's other groups that might need money more, like the homeless people. You can't walk through Portland without tripping over a sleeping homeless person.

[SailorNaboo]

Well, you know us Eugene people, to some of us, Portland seems as far away and big like New York or something!  (And then there are others from my area who go there all the time and it's not a big deal...I'm just a little Eugene area girl.).

Just so you know, I'm not the one making the decision, it's just something I was thinking about and last years, "Child's Play" really inspired me.  Seattle got so many donations that some of the kids got to actually keep the games, and they had to send them to other places such as the local Ronald McDonald house, where the families of people with a family member who has a long term illness stays if they can't afford a hotel for that amount of time.  I also am one for having the Pacific Northwest kind of 'stick together.'  We are such a unique area of the country, I like the idea of jumping on the bandwagon of something that some local webcomic artists started that is ending up so huge.

I'm all for getting as many suggestions as possible.   I only lean towards this one because of the agenda.  Many people look down on anime fans and video game players as slackers and all kinds of other bad things.  I like trying to change the image in that way.  Also from what I understand, the hospitals will have lists on Amazon, so if we just donated the money to their account on Amazon, the hospital would be able to select their choices.

There are also tons of great charities.

Almost all of my grandparents died of Heart Disease, the American Cancer Society, any local charity that helps homeless or local food banks, and Sakura's choice of Make A Wish is also quite worthy.  

To me, I just would like to see something that stays local, has very little administrative costs, and really makes a statement about who we are and what we like.  (Making sure the Hospital gets quite a few copies of things like Totoro and others like that would also be something I'd like to see!)

[princessfrodo]

How about the Humane Society, March of Dimes, the American Heart Association, or the American Cancer Association?

Or we could find a smaller hospital, or program (there are thousands to choose from, I'm sure) that needs help.  Bring it up at the next meeting, and maybe take a vote or something.

[ndarkeral]

Or we could find a smaller hospital, or program (there are thousands to choose from, I'm sure) that needs help.  Bring it up at the next meeting, and maybe take a vote or something.

Make sure the homeless are included! The problem is very widespread in Portland. They don't get very much funding and are pretty much treated like being homeless is a disease.

If we started helping them it would say very clearly that we care.

[zenix]

heart and kidney

[Kei-Kei]

I agree with Zenix, heart and kidney. But... then again I'm a little biased. My grandmother had congestive heart failure and went to Dialysis three times a week. And about Doernbechers: They have just about every high school, store ect. fundraise for them every year and if you've ever been up there that place is amazing. I'd rather support something not so well-known.

[Irnogs]

I for one would just like to mention CASA. My boyfriend's father used to work there and that organization meant a lot to him. As a matter of fact, when he died last year of liver cancer, he asked for people that wanted to help in his memory to donate to them. I'll see if I can find their website, it's a very worthy cause and there's some wonderful people working there helping the children they represent.

[Irnogs]

http://www.casahelpskids.org/

[acidraven]

Doernbechers is wonderfull (I spent a month there when I was in the 4th grade) and they do have alot of stuff. About half of the stuff they get is thre make a wish (Make a wish keeps money raised in a comunity in the comunity) Other ideas would include Other area Hosbitals not nessacrly dedicated to Children (But still have a childrens ward Salem, Silverton, Ect) Or the Ronald McDonald Houses. They tend to be important as well Not only work as longer term places to stay for sick children they also put up at least some of the family depending on what the situation is (One of my Good Friends had her daughter spend close to the fist 5 moths of her life at Doembechers Infint ICU and she stayed at the Ronald McDonald House) An other thing to think of as a Side note would be the Posiblity of Working with the Hosbital to do soemthing Not so much monitay donations but Service related. I don't know doing Cos Play skits for Kid there at the hosbital would be rewarding. We are a Early/Late Fall Con Christmas is right around the Cornor (Gods I saw Stuff at WallWart the other day) and there are many charities just related to that. BTW also in the area of OHSU, Dorembechers, there is a VA hosbital, and I think there is a Shriners up there as well. An other Option that would be more related to "Us" would be to aquire decent aproiate anime to add to there video Colections (Ohh and they have things set up for teens as well I rember them haveing Dirty Danceing on there video list when I was there and they just required prental permission/ being of age don't know if they still haveing it that way) One of the ones that I know is a big deal at least for the Ronald McDonald house is Computers, rangeing from equipment, software, to keeping them working.
Ok I think I have rambled for a while now. I can keep comeing up with ideas forever.

[EcchiSpice]

I have to post!!!! I believe that I have a VERY worthy charity in mind that helps homeless and transitional kids. It's called p:ear, and they do wonderful things through introducing kids age 13-22 to arts, recreation, education, and music that they would otherwise be denied. These are kids with talent and conviction, and we as a con have a lot to offer them. Think of it, you're a homeless kid who thinks of him or her self as just a homeless kid, then someone helps you discover that you are an ARTIST.  We have a chance to help kids break the cycle and go on to lead happy fulfilling lives through the power of anime!

I know it sounds really corny, but we can offer these people, some of whom are anime fans and manga artists, attendance to a convention where they fit in gloriously and can contribute. I have visions of kids donating their art to the charity auction to benefit p:ear and participating in Artists' Alley.  It ties in with the con theme and presents some great kids with a fantastic opportunity.

All of the other suggestions are valuable charities that do great things, but please consider, the big names already get the big funding. p:ear is underfunded, staffed minimally, and is LOCAL.  

I really believe we need to support a charity that supports the people who support the art. After all, what is manga, what is anime, without art?

Visit the folks at p:ear at pearmentor.org.

[Purp]

My little bro went to Doernbecher when he was diagnosed with diabetes and my grandpa used to produce their telethons ^.^
Any way they're really big but I think that helping the homeless is a wonderful idea, since I don't think they get so much attention.  Myabe you could help out that one homeless run newspaper, I can't remember what it's called but it's really cool- a bunch of homeless people got together and wrote about the real issues in Oregon and made a newspaper I've seen them selling it outside of Powells