The Weekly Albertan

Day NINE, last day

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 17:16

Friday: Hello Bloggers, WOW I can't believe today was the last day of my first practicum. The staff has a little party for us bringing us t-shirts, wish decorations, and home made cake. We all sat in the board room together laughing and talking about the experience we had. Our boss brought in one of the Children's Wish story DVD's, which was about a little girl who went to get filmed with Barney. We all watched in happiness and laughter for this little girl, and for that one hour we were all together, it was nice to get to know the staff members a little better, I wish we would have done that sooner. We didn't have much work to do, since we finished all the assignments, so we spent the day taking pictures with the staff, and of our offices, it was a fun day. This practicum really helped open my eyes about the working life vs. school life, and has definately helped move me forward towards my future. I'm very thankful to have spent so much time with Vanessa, and all the work mates we had. Hope you enjoyed reading about our experiences (the good, the bad, and the ugly!) Goodbye Bloggers! Kadie

 

Day EIGHT

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 17:11

Wednesday: Hello hello! Today was our last day for writing wish stories. I was able to finish three stories, so I was proud of that. These stories will be used for their online website, as well as hard copy to distribute at certain events. Hard-working day, time to relax! Goodbye, Kadie

 

Day SEVEN

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 17:08

Tuesday: Hello bloggers, Today was pretty much the same as yesterday, got more story assignments, so we cracked down and pretty much wrote all day. We have a couple of kid's stories lined up for us so NO SLACKING! I'll attach my first story at the end. That's all for now folks! Happy Reading, Kadie Adrianna's Story: Adrianna is a typical fun loving 12-year-old, who loves Hannah Montana, listening to music, and playing with friends. She is particularly passionate about animals and is a proud owner of her pet bunny Patrick, whom she takes full responsibility for.

 

Day SIX

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 17:05

Monday: Hello Bloggers, Monday Monday.. back to work - that's a tough one, but it MUST BE DONE! Today our "real boss" has returned from his week long trip to Lethbridge for meetings. So we finally got to see him, since last time we saw him was the interview stage! He explained to us a little bit more about the foundation, and their goals, and then he told us we will be writing child profiles for the web. We also had to design a new template in Publisher, on which the stories will be printed on. The designing part was by far my favorite project so far, I love doing that kind of stuff, so I'm happy I got to actually do some of it. After completing that, and getting the staff's approval, we began to write Child profile stories. These stories basically had to include the child's name, their sickness, and what their wish was. We had to write about their experience and opportunities as well as include any quotes that were available from thank you cards and emails. It was hard to get going, because we had to be aware of the tone of the story and the style of it. The staff ended up really happy with our first story, and they said they were all very impressed. HIGH FIVE! That's all for now! Kadie

 

Day FIVE

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 17:00

Friday: Hello Bloggers! TGIF! It's amazing how much the working life actually wears you down! Normally, I get fired up for the weekends, ready to go out and have fun. After THIS week, the only thing getting fired up is my fireplace, ready for a night of quiet and relaxation. Work is hard work! haha. Today we just finished the map. It seems like it would be easy, which it is, and fun, which it is, but I don't think we realized how much actual work had to go in it. All the locations we posted (around 100 places) had to be looked into, and researched to find the exact location - that's alot of flipping through files! wow. It was a good day. We even got a nice lunch break - aka HERE WE COME WENDY'S. Frosty's apparently are the office's weakness. understandable. :) they're delicious. Ta-ta! Kadie

 

Day FOUR

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 16:54

Thursday: Hello Bloggers! Back to work today.. Today was extremely fun! We were given a giant bulletin board and map, and we were told we had to make a display of all the destinations the wish children have been to. We decided to name our creation "World Wide Wishes" (catchy, I know :) ) After punching out the proper letters for the title, we had to sort through the children's files finding out the locations of their wish. Many chose Disney World, and Hawaii, but there were some more unique locations such as Russia, and even some places in Africa! It was interesting to read about these children's trip, and also look through some of the pictures they sent in to the foundation after. We also had to start pulling photo's and thank you letters out of the children's files for an upcoming display project. Overall great day, work is getting more exciting each day! :) Bye for now, Kadie

 

Day THREE

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 16:49

Wednesday: No work today people! this working life ain't so bad :) Kadie

 

Day TWO

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 16:47

Tuesday: Helloo bloggers! My eyes are tired and dry from staring at a computer screen all day. We were to doing data entry ALL DAMN DAY. Basically, we had to enter donors names into the system, including there address, spouse names, etc. It ended up being about 5 minutes per person entered in, and there were about 1250 names that had to be entered in. Now I'm no mathmatition... but that's alottttttttt of work. Hopefully tomorrow will include more than just sitting in a chair, entertaining myself by adjusting the seat height over and over and over again. Bye! Kadie

 

Day ONE

Written by Kadie Hummel

Monday, 30 November 2009 16:44

Monday: Hello bloggers! Today was my first day of practicum, working at Children's Wish Foundation. Going in, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, so I went in with an open mind. We were greeted by a cheery lady who later sat us down and told us about the foundation. The walls around us were filled with giant cheques from generous donors, which was really nice to see the generosity in Calgary. We were taught how to use a computer system to help them with data entry, and after a couple trials and errors, I nailed it, and raced through it. After completing 5 big sheets of lists and lists of names and addresses, i was quite satisfied with my efficiency. Little did I know, the faster the work you do, the more work you get.. BRING IT ON BABY. I'm quite tired, not used to this waking-up-early-its-a-workday dealio, but timmy's filled me up on caffeine - no more yawning! :) Be thankful for every day, we're lucky to be here and healthy! Kadie

 

Soundslide of Children's Wish

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Wednesday, 25 November 2009 13:14

Hey guys here is a soundslide project of photos at Children's Wish. Enjoy--

 

Eric's Wish

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Wednesday, 25 November 2009 13:13

Eric visits the HMS Belfast Imagine being 11 years-old and not having the ability to participate in any physical activity, without suffering from extreme shortness of breath. For Eric, this is just another typical day in his life. In 2008 he was diagnosed with, Pulmonary Hypertension and Prolonged QT Syndrome. These conditions cause increased blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, vein and capillaries resulting in dizziness, fainting, and potential sudden death. Because of his diagnosis, he is required to have oxygen supplied to his lungs 24 hours a day, as well as a wheelchair to assist his mobility. Despite his condition, Eric maintains a positive attitude about life. He has a strong passion for golf and continues to be inspired by his favorite golfer, Tiger Woods. Eric's dream is to one day become a professional golfer. As well as having an interest in sports, Eric also loves science and various books about war. One thing Eric loved was to hear stories of when his grandfather was involved in the Korean War. Eric was very close to his grandpa, who passed away in 2002. Having such an inspiring bond with his grandfather, Eric decided to make his wish in honour of him. Eric's wish was to travel to England to see the HMS Belfast, the ship his grandfather served on during the Korean War. The ship is currently operated by the Imperial War Museum, where it is open to the public to view in London, England. In Sept. 2009, Eric received his wish and travelled to England. When Eric and his family arrived at the HMS Belfast ship, the staff personally welcomed them before touring the ship. Along with the anticipated excitement of visiting Belfast, Eric and his family also enjoyed viewing Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, and Windsor Castle. Eric also participated in Sea Cadets meeting, where he made many new friends with the British Sea Cadets. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and in Eric's case hundreds of photos he has are now a sentimental reminder of his trip to England. Eric and his family were so thankful for the trip and will forever hold the memory in their hearts. "We really wanted to thank everyone that worked so hard to grand my wish and to let you know that it was truly appreciated," said Eric. "It gave me something special and made me feel close to my grandpa."

 

Two weeks in the box, we be fast and they be slow!

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Friday, 20 November 2009 10:22

Well today is our last day at Children's Wish Foundation, I am glad to be finished it but also sad to leave. As we all know, we are back to classes this Monday. Bummer.. REGARDLESS, Kadie and I wrote wish profiles pretty much all week. I tried to post a copy of what I finished but it won't allow me to. Once I get it all figured out I will definitely post a copy for everyone to read. We also were privileged enough to watch a couple video's on this one girl who was diagnosed with Leukemia. Those were pretty sad to watch. All in all I enjoyed doing my practicum with Children's Wish, and plan on returning to do some volunteer work possibly around Christmas. We were allowed to read many profiles of sick children which were sometimes overwhelming, but gave us a chance to re-evaluate our lives and appreciate them more. Finally, we leave on good terms with the Children's Wish and really had a great experience working with them during the last two weeks. We are thankful we had the opportunity to do so, and plan on taking what we learned here with us. Thank you Children's Wish.

 

Eric's Wish Story

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 13:39

Sorry guys, it didn't post but here is the first wish story as promised. Eric

 

One Profile Completed--Only two more days left of practicum

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Wednesday, 18 November 2009 13:36

Sorry I did not write yesterday. It was a long day indeed. Kadie and I finished our first wish profile stories. At the end of this blog I will post the profile I wrote for the child I did. It was hard to get the ball rolling on ideas for the profile, but in the end I think our managers were please with the result we gave them. As for today goes, I took some photos and plan on making a soundslides project of all the photos possibly at the end. We are working on another wish profile story as well. We are trying to burn through a few more, before we are finished this week. Here is my first profile story I wrote yesterday. Eric

 

Wish Profile Day

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Monday, 16 November 2009 19:36

Today Kadie and I read previous wish profile stories. Wish profile stories are stories done on sick children who recieved their wish, through CFW. We are required to research the child, look in archives and write our own style of wish profile. My wish profile is on a boy named Eric. He has a rare heart condition that prevents him from doing much at the young age of 11. When I finish my writing piece I plan on posting it as well as even a copy for everyone to view. Tomorrow we should finish our profiles as well as have them edited. We are hoping at least (fingers crossed). I will post some photos of what we have done so far and keep you guys as updated as I can. On Friday we worked on the world of wishes map where we posted a pin flag on a giant map of the world, where children have gone for their wishes. So far, this practicum is great for experience Kadie and I have learned a lot about eachother personally (which needless to say isn't such a bad thing ) :) Ciao for now folks.

 

Worldwide Wishes

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Thursday, 12 November 2009 20:22

Helle hello hello, The day off was much needed. However, back to the grind today. Kadie and I were required to pinpoint destinations on an entire world map that CWF has sent sick kids. (Children's Wish Foundation) It was fun to see all the places the kids have gone to. We were also require to look at their files and see what sort of sickness they were diagnosed with and why they wanted to travel to this certain place. Most kids wanted to see their families, or meet celebreties such as Hilary Duff, Jonas Brothers, Dog the Bounty Hunter. Some of the places kids went were, Fiji, Australia (of course), Germany, Ireland and the main attraction Disneyland, California. When looking through the files of the children, it was a bit heart breaking to read when they passed away. Some passed away shortly after they recieved their wish. Photos and thank you notes cluttered in the files. So many hidden messages of optimism that the public needs to see. After the worldwide wishes board is complete, I will post photos. Then we are required to make a bulletin board of the thank you notes and photos of sick kids. That will be another task I am really looking forward to. As for now, that's all-- stay tuned for more

 

Day 2- Thank goodness for STAT Holidays

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 21:06

Well today was not half as exciting as yesterday. A computer screen full of names, pledges, walkers and donations. My eyes were starting to go a bit strayed. Our administrative assistant, Diana shed some light on her religion and her morals and values today. It was pretty informing and interesting to hear her views on life. Along with some children straws we were allowed to snag, we had an overall great day. I am sooo looking forward to a sleep in day tomorrow. No blog tomorrow everyone. Stay tuned for an update Thursday. Ciao-

 

Day One of Practicum Commences

Written by Vanessa Hauser

Monday, 09 November 2009 17:54

Hello fellow readers, Today as was my first day on practicum at the Children's Wish Foundation, here in Calgary. I have to admit, having a comfortable sleep in was not an option this morning. My day began bright and early around 7 a.m. Kadie and I arrived a bit early to avoid the traffic rush. It all made good timing. Today, I did some basic data entry. Our manager is actually away this week, so we are trying to get tasks around the workplace accomplished for other employees. We spent lunch hour talking to the Administrative Assistant, about politics, celebrities and new movies out on DVD. After lunch, and finishing the last bit of basic data entry I was require to take a look at previous wish stories. Wish stories are profile stories done on sick children, and the one wish they wanted. I was really touched by the one story of a boy who wanted to be adopted. Out of everything in the world, he chose to be adopted. The story behind the whole scene is that, when he was a baby his father left his mom to fend for herself to raise and support this child. As the boy got a little older, he was diagnosed with Cancer, leaving his mom his own essential line of support during this trying time. As time progressed she met a man, that offered the boy (Cale) a lot of support during endless radiation treatments and other tests that were required. Cale loved his mom's boyfriend as if he were his real dad, and his only wish was to be officially adopted by his mom's boyfriend. The mom and the boyfriend did not have sufficient funds for the mom's boyfriend to officially adopt Cale. So, the Children's Wish Foundation offered Cale a chance for his wish to come true. They pushed adoption papers so that his wish could come true faster, as well as covering all the costs of the lawyer fees etc. When Cale was officially adopted by his mom's boyfriend, his mom and her boyfriend had a private ceremony to basically seal the deal. His mother and his mom's boyfriend were officially married shortly after the adoption papers went through. Cale was his mom's boyfriends best man for the ceremony. About a week later, only a day before Cales birthday he passed away. Essentially, it just made me realize how lucky we really are to be alive and healthy. So far this practicum has already started to open my eyes a lot. I am quite enjoying it. Tomorrow Kadie and I are to make a bulletin board of wishes. That's all for today guys!! -Vanessa H