Pizza for CHEO: WE DID IT
We made it happen. Thrown together in two hours with many moving pieces, we did it. We brough an obscene amount of single-serve meals to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario for overworked staff to enjoy (when they can). We love you, CHEO!
Before heading into an important meeting this morning, I checked Twitter and saw a message that totally changed the course of my day!
@AngiePoirier @dylanblackradio @SamLapradeCFRE @PatriciaBoalCTV @StuntmanStu @mattskubeCTV @Denise_Fung I checked in with friends who work @CHEO to offer help. They said staff are not taking time to eat or have breaks. Are there restaurants who can send food? Please RT.
— Dawn Pickering (@CDawnPickering) November 10, 2022
You know my history with CHEO, and since I was looking to record some of my radio show (weekdays, 9A-2P on Chez 106) to accomodate my in-person meeting from 9-10A and I thought, ‘I can definitely amplify this message!’ Very on brand for my radio show… Figured I was good to pitch in at least two pizzas for the ER staff… so I put the call out to my listeners, “anyone want to buy a pizza for the ER staff at CHEO?”
Following my morning meeting, when I logged in to the on-air computer in the control room, I was floored. E-transfers were already waiting for me in my inbox thanks to a brief mention of Dawn’s tweet (shared above). Businesses vouched pizza pies! The ball was rolling and it was rolling fast and hard. Things took a turn when CHEO informed me that they could not accept any ‘sharable’ meal (like a pizza) due to viral contamination risk (of course). I pivoted in the moment and turned my massive cheese/pep/veggie pizza order into individual serve meals. Wow, did the Pizza Pizza on St. Laurant hate me! (Sorry!)
**Please note: I have been informed that CHEO has changed some protocols to allow their staff to accept pizzas, thought individually portioned meals are highly preferred when possible.
I promised everyone who contributed that I would NOT deposit any funds until the food was delivered! Well…
We delivered!
Oh wow, we delivered:
5 x Veggie Panzerotti
5 x Canadian Panzerotti
10 x Cheese Panzerotti
10 x Pepperoni Panzerotti
5 x Chicken Bite Meal (5)
5 x Classic Chicken Sandwich
5 x Plant Based Chick'n Sandwich
5 x Popcorn Chicken
5 x Chicken Bites (10)
5 x Jalapeno Poppers
5 x Cauliflower Bites
5 x Deep Fried Pickles
5 x Single Order Fries
5 x Sweet Potato Fries
Working with Dawn on this ‘Pizza for CHEO ER staff’ initiative really spiralled and it took over my morning. I was forced to record my whole radio show (which also included an interview which I had to bump to tomorrow) and, between 9A-11A, we raised over 700$.
All of that money went to buying food. I am not involved in the food service industry. I am not an event coordinator. Today I was just a grown up CHEO kid with a truck and a credit card.
Below is the PROOF of PURCHASE and an edited list of donors (I’m not going to give out your personal information). I’m only posting these pics and sharing this information as a Thank You (and receipt) for those who threw money at me all because of Dawn’s idea.
Those who crunched the numbers (above) may have noticed the total donated was $685 - I put in the rest. The total order (which you can see by clicking the black button above this text) was: $712.69.
I hope the food was enjoyed! It’s more of a lack in TIME than it is a lack in food supply, I’m guessing. At the very least, I hope this lets our CHEO urgent care workers know that we are thinking of them.
Dawn’s tweet is also still giving, into the weekend, thanks to Ray and everyone at Gabriel Pizza, I hear! What a wonderful idea and a massive shoutout to all who contributed!
Kristy, Michael, Mike (Connie’s Custom Tailoring), Marc, Mark, Kim, Jean-Pierre, Meghan, Genevieve, Patricia, Dawn, Julien, Daniel, other Dan of Dan’s Mobile Marine - the biggest of thanks to you for making this food drop possible! It was one tweet that turned into a large amount of food. No strings. No stress. All love.
Thank you, too, to the staff at Pizza Pizza - 1910 St. Laurent location. You essentially shut down to create this order. I was very shocked to see that many of your items (which I assumed would be frozen and then fried) were HAND MADE, and served FRESH. I am so sorry this happened very last minute and you rocked it! Additional thanks to Bella Vista Restaurant who were the first to call the radio station to offer support. You are all wonderful and help make this city GREAT!
My heart is VERY full and, with any luck/if they have a second or two, our CHEO ER/PICU workers bellies will be equally full.
Ghost Stories for 2022
Spooky season is upon us and while, I’m 99% ready to start decorating the house, I’m 100% in the mood to start collecting your ghost stories for special Halloween programming on the radio.
If you have a story about something that happened to you that you could not explain, something with a ‘paranormal’ vibe to it, I want to hear it!
There are a few ways for you to share your stories:
Your voice tells your story best: I can call you through my laptop & record our conversation (there are a few ways to do this including Skype, Teams, Zoom, etc.) OR you can record yourself telling the story, and don’t worry about messing up, I will be editing all stories (audio only) for air.
Your story in your words: If you would prefer to tell the story in text, that works too. Send me an e-mail and we’ll go from there.
Happy Haunting: Midsummer Night's Scream at Saunders Farm
The spirits are waiting for you at Saunders Farm; some are friendly while others are - well, ... see for yourself during their Midsummer Night's Scream event: tonight and tomorrow ONLY. Your 35$+tax ticket includes admission to the Opening of Fright Fest, Sept. 24th!
The spirits are waiting for you at Saunders Farm. Some are friendly while others are - well, ... see for yourself during their Midsummer Night's Scream event: tonight and tomorrow ONLY.
Your 35$+tax ticket includes admission to the Opening of Fright Fest, Sept. 24th!
I visited the 200 year old barn last night. This was one of many visions I had while making my way through the parlour, into the laboratory, cellar, library and - wait! what was that? did you hear something? If you did, it could have been Saunders Farm’s architect of fright Ayden Harvey.
Mid April Update
Back at work for my second week after having COVID. Seems the whole family is in good health now and I haven’t personally noticed any lingering symptoms or issues. Looking forward to meeting my new rheumatologist (rheumatoid arthritis specialist) next week (!!!) so there may be a few days of ‘wonky schedules’ to get through at the radio station. I’m thankful for the support I have and continue to receive at work regarding my health issues. Gotta take care of this body and this life while I’ve got it!
BIG NEWS: My birthday wish for the kids at CHEO is getting a signal boost from my radio station. For the next week or so, you’ll hear ads encouraging donations for the hospital’s child life department - they then give gifts to kids receiving in patient treatment. Something I’m very familiar with. This is my biggest cause that I love to support. If you’d like to contribute, please CLICK HERE.
COTTAGE NEWS: Some major expenses are on the immediet horizon, like: new chimney, water line (well & pump) corrections and a visit from our local neighbourhood exterminator! Woohoo! Now, before you judge me for hiring pest control LET IT BE KNOWN that I’m hoping to only have one inaccessible area of the cabin cleared out; the nightly scratch-scratch-scratching behind the head of my bed (in the wall) has GOT to stop! I’m not going murder-happy on the local fauna.
We’re hoping to get the cabin ready for guests earlier than May 24 weekend, so if you’re a pal & want to book some time at the lake - get in touch! Someone’s gotta help me pay these bills!
If you’re reading this, I hope you had a wonderful easter weekend. Sunny days ahead!
Amy Volume's BIRTHDAY WISH - Year 4!
Help me celebrate my birthday by giving a gift to a child receiving in patient treatment at CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario). All proceeds go directly to CHEO’s Child Life department who provide kids with wonderful and much needed distractions in many forms: books, toys, craft kits and other forms of entertainment.
I’m turning 36 on April 25th (woah!) - help me celebrate by buying a gift for a kid receiving in patient treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, aka CHEO! All money raised goes to CHEO’s Child Life fund and you can learn more about the fund by CLICKING HERE.
Launched in 2019, we’ve raised $5,000.00 and I”m hoping to add another $2,500.00 in 2022. This is a mighty ambitious goal but, as long as I have a birthday, I’ll keep trying to provide entertainment and levity to those who deserve it most: kids in hospital.
This cause is very important to me. I am a CHEO kid. I spend a lot of my childhood in hospital, diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at eighteen months (1988) it was Sick Kids in Toronto until CHEO built their own Rheumatology Clinic (which I believe is the Infectious Diseases clinic in today’s terms).
As you can imagine, I missed a lot of school - never did make it on to any teams (sporting, social or otherwise) - in fact, I missed my own highschool graduation due to joint fusion surgery.
When you’re little and in need of a smile, CHEO’s Child Life department delivers. Please consider giving a gift to a child to help me celebrate my birthday. This fundraising effort is ongoing, year round. If you cannot donate at this time, there is no pressure! There are no deadlines! I just ‘get loud’ about it every April because that’s when I celebrate my birthday.
Help me celebrate by making a financial donation OR by buying a gift from my Wish List (will be delivered to my work address and brought to CHEO by me):
The photo above this text is of me delivering gifts & money to CHEO. This was my first year buggin’ you for donations. If you consider the average gift costing $25, to date, we have collectively given over 200 gifts to kids (aged 0-18) receiving in patient treatment at CHEO.