2011 Promotions Update
Our major corporate sponsor, Rick Diamond, owner of Diamond Delivery (DD), has been a steady supporter over the years. It doesn’t matter what is thrown at Rick, he just throws it back full throttle, wholly committed to success regardless of the commitment required. And he passionately gets the bigger picture. If his dear wife Sue had been ill IN Africa, she would have died. If Rick can help bring health care to Africans suffering with a neurological disorder, then most any effort is worthwhile. Meeting Rick Diamond for lunch (he paid) in mid August, we discussed our project priorities, including our critical need to advance to a new level in our communication and promotions proficiency so we could effectively fulfill the various urgently awaiting projects.
October Fundraising Events
Pursuing cutting edge new economy fundraising, Rick and I mused over various ways and means of raising funds. What would be cutting edge today? After chatting about how popular garage sales have become in the Fraser Valley, Rick determined that a giant garage sale would engage the Surrey community and raise much needed awareness. Amazing effort ensued by many members of Rick’s staff, some hired specifically for the events, to ensure that success was realised and the broader corporate community embraced our cause. Providing DD trucks for donation pick up, and housing the container at the Westwood lumbar Surrey site, along with holding the garage sale at DD Surrey warehouse, it made for an incredibly busy October.
The commencement to the weekend began with Rick Diamond and Brian Johal, owner of Westwood Lumbar Company sponsoring and hosting our first corporate luncheon. Included in the fundraiser was a luncheon attended by approximately 100 representatives from the Fraser Valley corporate community, Surrey municipality members, provincial legislators, a BC Lions football player, Miss BC Tara Teng (currently Miss Canada) and our very special guest, Dr. Sue Diamond, keynote speaker. Dr. Diamond pulled at the heartstrings of the audience as she shared her own story of neurological struggles and how our cause became a Diamond family cause several years ago. 100 balloons with gifts for sale, winter flower baskets, and a silent auction were followed by a massive garage sale the following day.
To pull off this mammoth effort required all hands on deck for weeks! Dozens of KBNF, Diamond Delivery, and Westwood Lumbar volunteers including the owners’ families and friends all pulled together to make the weekend a wonderful fundraiser. Many new valuable contacts were made and much networking has developed as a result. A TV interview with Fanny Kiefer, Shaw TV, was an offspring of the campaign raising the stature of our foundation further.
Our beautiful winter flower baskets were subsidized by a Fraser Valley garden centre. Containing perennials and annuals, the remainder have been converted into lovely spring flower baskets and are on sale now for Mother’s and Father’s Day. Much appreciation is extended to IGA Marketplace in Walnut Grove, a continual supporter of our cause. We held a weekend long basket sale at their site, as they set aside their own flowers in deference to ours. Unfortunately, part of the weekend was hit with monsoons and our volunteers braved the arctic winds and rain, being troopers for the cause. Our coin boxes continue to grace IGA counters and tangible support is faithfully given, for which we are so thankful.
KBNF Summer Missions
We anticipate a multi-focussed mission trip to Ghana in early August 2011. Medical missions to Ghana and for the first time to Liberia are in the works. For Ghana, KBNF is participating with the Ghanaian Physicians and Surgeons Association of America’s first CME Conference for West African physicians. We are providing neurosurgery, neurology and neuro-radiology education and training workshops. Concurrently, we are looking forward to facilitating neurology stroke and epilepsy teaching being taught by our KBNF neurologist for the medical students at the University of Ghana School of Medicine and with local physicians.
A research mission led by KBNF Research Chair, Lisa Cain and including representatives from partnering universities and institutes, in partnership with the College of Health Sciences Department of Anatomy, are anticipating the launch of the first Neuro Research Department for West Africa in that first week. KBNF Project Management Chair, Don Jenion, his team and Builders without Borders will work with KBTH in planning the anticipated renovation work fully funded by KBNF. Danny Moe, KBNF Motivational Speaker, will be speaking in many forums and churches, giving the gift of inspiration to Ghanaians while sharing of the mission of KBNF.
KBNF is in discussions with Dr. James Sirleaf, HEARTT, and KBNF neurosurgeon Dr. Estrada Bernard [Alaska] regarding holding a neurosurgery mission in Monrovia, Liberia the second week of August. We are pleased that Dr. Paul King, KBNF neurosurgeon (Atlanta) has been confirmed to the team and that DrUMM is also committed to this mission. We are considering expanding our mission to include volunteer dentists and perhaps a general surgeon to round out the mission mandate. Funding is a priority for mission expenses and to subsidize mission member’s trip expenses.
KBNF Academy
Danny Moe, VP, KBF, and an international motivational speaker par excellence, and I discussed how several of our KBNF members were looking for work and was there something we could do to help them? KBNF is founded on and values our volunteer family. When a member is hurting, then we all hurt. Danny subsequently prepared an inspirational Dare to Dream seminar and the eight attendees from that morning session received tremendous encouragement. Subsequently, we determined the importance of giving a gift to our KBNF family, friends, and potential supporters and Dare to Dream and Heart Power seminars were fully established.
Danny has now hosted events at Kwantlen University and the UBC / VGH Eye Care Centre auditorium and library. We have served waffles hot off the grill for lunch and we are encouraged by the response and new KBNF members joining as a result. Ultimately, however, the most precious moments are when our Academy members embrace life-changing principles. Danny now has a group of Academy members joining him on Skype from Accra, Ghana on a weekly basis. We anticipate on expansion, as we continue to group our alumni.
Conclusion
We are truly energized by the impact that we have had on health care and neurosurgical developments in Ghana and by the opportunities we have now to make a continued strategic and heartfelt impact. One area that we are advancing in is keeping our members and sponsors abreast of developments and news on a monthly basis. This is a work in progress, as we move toward regular mail outs. We are encouraged by the response we have had so far from our February/March fundraising letter and anticipate greater response as we devote more time to networking by personal phone calls, emails, and traditional mail.
We are pursuing funding for several sustainable and credible projects at hand. Our KBNF Family will indeed be critical to the realization of these objectives, as we continue this incredible journey . . . together.
