Shriner's Toy Drive Results

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Byrneout
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Shriner's Toy Drive Results

Post by Byrneout »

Much like last year, I wanted to take a moment and show you all the results of what we accomplished as a team. The pictures below show how YOUR donations (and those of others) were used to provide toys for the children in the Shriner's Burns Institute in Cincinnati.

First off, we have a picture of me trying to stack the bounty. It took about an hour and a half to try and get all of these toys stacked in a way that nothing was being hidden - which is significantly down from the three hours it used to take me when I first started this project.

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Then, we move on to the total grouping of toys that we were donating - a nice haul!

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A slightly better picture of the stack, even though the left and right edges kind of get chopped off.

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The toys from the right side that didn't make it into the main picture.

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The toys from the left side that didn't make it into the main picture.

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The minivan, loaded to the gills (including a shot of an ENTIRE CASE of Hot Wheels, donated by an extraordinarily generous board member).

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The car of one of my close friends (and my primary annual toy drive assistant), also loaded.

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A brief spotlight photo of said assistant, just because he ALWAYS helps out. Felt he deserved the mention. Also, he's an Assistant Prosecutor in Cincinnati, so it behooves me to be kind to him. ;)

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Us taking the haul in to the hospital (it took a total of three trips from the vehicles).

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A view of the Volunteer office as we unloaded the last of the toys into their office.

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Resting for just a moment, Santa's elves realize that there's still more work to be done. Upcoming is one of my favorite parts, in case you couldn't tell by the horrible grin playing across my face.

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Now we move on to the moment you've been waiting for - the setup of the PS3 (which was donated "From ValiantFans.com In Memory Of Trent Collins"). We purchased every item in this picture - the rolling cart, the television, the extra controllers - all of this so that the PS3 can be rolled around to the dorms for the children unable to make it down to the play room because their injuries are too severe for them to leave their beds.

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Shriner's always asks that I test all of the games and systems that are donated, so that if there's an issue, I can return the item. This means you get an ACTION SHOT (and yes, that's a ValiantFans.com t-shirt I'm wearing - so in a way, you were ALL there with me)!

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This was Marvel's Ultimate Alliance on the PS3 - and man, let me tell you it looked incredible, even better than the Xbox 360 version I had seen. In the room with me were the Assistant Volunteer Director, the Head of Security, and a Child Life Manager. Once I started testing this game, it drew all of their attention - and I was asked to continue playing for a few minutes, as they go excited seeing the INCREDIBLE graphics that this puppy was putting out.

The Head Of Security was a closet Captain America fan, and he encouraged the Assistant Volunteer Director to snap the photos of me testing the game, and a close-up of his favorite character.

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And the final picture - what I'm calling a "family portrait" - these are all the systems I've been able to have donated to Shriner's over the years. Included is the XBox 360 that YOU made possible last year, along with the newest member of the family.

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Again, I give each and every one of you my thanks. There is NO WAY I would be able to do this alone. It's through the generous donations, auctions, and creative ideas that the members of VALIANTFANS.COM so generously provide that enables me to be there, doing this. It's hard to walk away without a tear on my cheek. And even knowing what we accomplished, I sometimes feel like I should be doing more, that what I contribute isn't enough. There are SO MANY of you that do SO MUCH for this, and do it above and beyond any expectation I could ever have. Simply put, without YOU, this would not happen. I would go on and mention names, but some of the donations came from board members wishing NOT to be recognized for their efforts - so it would come off as hollow in my mind, not being able to personally thank each person who contributed. So instead, I will just say THANK YOU ALL, from the bottom of my heart. Words truly fail to express how touched I am by what you have done.

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Post by depluto »

Thank you, Ric. This is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen.

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Post by jedimarley »

No, Ric. Thank you. :thumb:

I wish we could have done more.

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Post by siren3-4 »

Great post and it's a really good thing you're doing !!

:clap: :clap: :thumb:

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Post by cobra_commander »

depluto wrote:Thank you, Ric. This is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen.
Really brings a tear to my eyes. Great work. You can count on my support this year Ric. (I'm a huge toy nut..was that a re-release He-man I see in the stack there? :hm:)

:thumb:

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Post by myron »

depluto wrote:Thank you, Ric. This is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen.
Why waste time learning, when ignorance is instantaneous?

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Post by Zero »

myron wrote:
depluto wrote:Thank you, Ric. This is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen.
Great work Ric!! :thumb: :clap:

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Post by cinlach@aol.com »

awesome stuff...
WWSLJD, MF?

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Post by greg »

This is really great... three cheers for Ric! :clap: :clap: :clap:

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Post by Squirrel »

I wish I knew of this or I would have definately been part of it...you can count me in for 2007! :wink:

Its a great thing all of you that were involved in did :clap:

May God look over you and shine his goodness down :thumb:
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Post by leonmallett »

Great work Ric, your efforts are tremendous. :thumb:
VEI - I look forward to you one day publishing MORE than 9-10 books per month

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Post by SnotDrip »

Ric

Awesome to see the results of your compassion and commitment to the Kids

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Last edited by SnotDrip on Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:41:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Elveen »

jedimarley wrote:No, Ric. Thank you. :thumb:

I wish we could have done more.

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Post by Rocket2600 »

Awesome stuff Ric. :thumb:

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Post by GGSAE »

Good Stuff Ric!
:thumb:

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Post by Byrneout »

cobra_commander wrote:
depluto wrote:Thank you, Ric. This is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen.
Really brings a tear to my eyes. Great work. You can count on my support this year Ric. (I'm a huge toy nut..was that a re-release He-man I see in the stack there? :hm:)

:thumb:
Yep. Last year they got four of the Castle Grayskulls that came with the four pack of characters, plus one of each character from the first line (I didn't have enough of the Snakemen waves to donate those). this year they received one of each of my duplicate MOTU figures. Don't know hwo I'm going to find enough for next year short of sending my personal collection...

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Post by Byrneout »

jedimarley wrote:No, Ric. Thank you. :thumb:

I wish we could have done more.
There's always next year. There are enough of us, and we're growing, that we should be able to go ballistic if we really try.

I'll be honest - my next goal is a Wii - but my true goal is further than that.

In 2008 (and in addition to all the toys we normal donate), I want to be able to give each child their own individual hand-held system, whether its the PSP or the GameBoy DS or whatever - around Christmas, they try to release as many patients as possible, so that I'd only need 30 of them or so...

...it's ambitious, but I think we'll find a way to make it happen. And I have two years to start saving up...

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Post by jedimarley »

Byrneout wrote:In 2008 (and in addition to all the toys we normal donate), I want to be able to give each child their own individual hand-held system, whether its the PSP or the GameBoy DS or whatever - around Christmas, they try to release as many patients as possible, so that I'd only need 30 of them or so...
Let me know which hand-held system you want to do.

I'll kick it off by donating the first 5.

Come on boys! We have a year to come up with 25 more. :thumb:

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Post by Knightt »

Great job, Ric... :thumb:

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Post by cobra_commander »

Byrneout wrote:
cobra_commander wrote:
depluto wrote:Thank you, Ric. This is one of the most fantastic things I've ever seen.
Really brings a tear to my eyes. Great work. You can count on my support this year Ric. (I'm a huge toy nut..was that a re-release He-man I see in the stack there? :hm:)

:thumb:
Yep. Last year they got four of the Castle Grayskulls that came with the four pack of characters, plus one of each character from the first line (I didn't have enough of the Snakemen waves to donate those). this year they received one of each of my duplicate MOTU figures. Don't know hwo I'm going to find enough for next year short of sending my personal collection...
Send me a pm when the time comes Sir...I'll do whatever I can to help you finish off you he-man quota :thumb:

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Post by cobra_commander »

jedimarley wrote:
Byrneout wrote:In 2008 (and in addition to all the toys we normal donate), I want to be able to give each child their own individual hand-held system, whether its the PSP or the GameBoy DS or whatever - around Christmas, they try to release as many patients as possible, so that I'd only need 30 of them or so...
Let me know which hand-held system you want to do.

I'll kick it off by donating the first 5.

Come on boys! We have a year to come up with 25 more. :thumb:
:clap: :clap: :clap:

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Post by GJB »

jedimarley wrote:
Byrneout wrote:In 2008 (and in addition to all the toys we normal donate), I want to be able to give each child their own individual hand-held system, whether its the PSP or the GameBoy DS or whatever - around Christmas, they try to release as many patients as possible, so that I'd only need 30 of them or so...
Let me know which hand-held system you want to do.

I'll kick it off by donating the first 5.

Come on boys! We have a year to come up with 25 more. :thumb:

You can count me in for two. I hold at two for the time being because I don't even know how much these things cost.


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