TRANSFORMING FOR SICK KIDS IS A GO!

As the fireworks were going off on Victoria Day, like a bolt out of the blue an idea popped into my head. For quite some time now, I was anticipating my birthday for this year. The reason being that Transformers: The Movie is out on July 4th as well.

With the movie out on my birthday, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to not only get in touch with my geeky side, but my inner-child as well since I've been ranting and raving about Transformers since Pat Lee's comic company, Dreamwave Productions, had won the rights and produced the comics in 2002.

I had always wanted to make this year's birthday super-fun by geeking it out with friends and watch the movie for the 12:01 showing. I jokingly mentioned that I'd be first in line wearing a homemade Transformers costume made out of boxes that could actually transform into something that resembled a vehicle... until I thought about it again for another 10 seconds and concluded that bringing my Masterpiece Edition Optimus Prime decked out in my Decepticons t-shirt would suffice.

Seriously though, after going on a tangent to explain the background you're probably curious about what that idea that came out like a "bolt like a blue" was huh? To reward you for your patience, the idea was that I camp overnight (for a night or two) to be first in line at Scotiabank Theatre (formerly Paramount) and while doing so, for the month going into my birthday, collect donations of new or old Transformers toys and donate it to the Sick Kids Foundation so that those kids can become immersed in a world of good and evil, hope, valour and honour and have freaking big ass robots battle it out. lol. You see, I have a PASSION for all things Transformers. You have no idea. The very notion of lining up to be first in line (and possibly campnig out) for the Transformers movie, spreading the love and bringing attention Transformers (and my love for it), and doing this for a worthy cause (such as Sick Kids) doesn't even make me flinch.

But then I thought to myself, "why should it stop there"? What about little girls who aren't really into robots kicking each others asses?... I then thought of the gender disparity.. I'm not sure what girls from the ages of 3-12 play with these days, but Transformers toys would probably be low on their pecking order. So I revised the limitation of just having Transformers toys and expanding it to old toys AND monetary donations.

My reasons for choosing the Sick Kids Foundation? For those who may or may not know, at the age of 10, I had been implicated in a bike accident and smashed my head on a sidewalk behind my house after being involved in a local "bike race" of sorts that went awry on my part. Long story short, I had a blood clot on the side of my head and I needed neurosurgery done by Dr. James T. Rutka at Sick Kids. Hence the stitches on the side of my head. Anyways, I remember it being pretty bleak while I was in the hospital waiting for the surgery and consequently recovering after I had the surgery. I didn't really do much besides play with the shitty toys they had there and some Super Mario World that they had available on the Super Nintendo. Not entirely fun. But since I benefitted so much from the services and care that Sick Kids provided to me as a child, that's why I chose this organization.

Sure, you might say that's all fine and dandy. "Cool! That's a pretty good cause, Will! I'LL SUPPORT YOU!" WAIT! It doesn't end there, I even came up with a title for the event.. TRANSFORMING FOR SICK KIDS! Cool isn't it?? Hold on a sec there, bub.. not too fast .. I want to let you in on something - I am doing this for own reasons and they're not completely altruistic. I'm doing it for my own self reasons as well, being that it FEELS GOOD to help others.
When I fully articulated my vision to a close friend of mine, she had expressed her concerns and reservations on the notion of "charity", which made me think more about what I was doing and how it would affect others.

Honestly, I didn't think about it that deeply at first as I was caught up on how FUN it would have been to involve my close friends on this. Raising money for a worthy cause, spreading my love and passion for Transformers, bringing awareness of the live-action movie, AND it being on my birthday?!? I'm so there there!!!.... or not..

Having heard that rant on the limitations of charity and people who benefit from charity being "indebted"... made me... depressed.. It honestly took the wind right out of my sails so to speak.. and that's where I am right now.. I formulated a very rough action plan and made a list of my resources.. but I'm at a standstill.. and not sure on whether this is the most worthwhile thing to do after all. Maybe I was disappointed because I didn't have the full support of that person.

The other day, I talked to that person, and have it resolved. I've finally got things started up and going!