The Baxter Children's Hospital Caravan
Donation protected
A quest to rally 5000 jokes for my son Miles when he was diagnosed with brain cancer, has evolved into two websites and a 10,000 square foot facility that is available free of charge, to families facing cancer and the charities that support them.
I have healed primarily because of my dog BAXTER. Happier than I have ever been, I will now introduce my little lifesaver and share the love with kids who can use it most. He has been training to play "banana hide & seek," and to react to kids telling him jokes. He has spent months in Florida with my friends and animal conservationists. A few more reinforcement sessions and we return to The Mayo Clinic Pediatric Ward to get the ball rolling. This can happen as soon as in the next few weeks, depending on the support we receive!
Below is a video that will introduce you to my son's legacy - Jokes4Miles and my plan to share it.
BAXTER leads a “Care-a-van” to visit every children’s hospital in the U.S. Marty McPhee, from Disney's Animal Kingdom helps organize. Joining us will be families, celebrities and entertainers in
MINI MAC traveling stage packed with free merchandise for kids and siblings.
ROLLING ROUNDTABLE / PODCAST and production truck.
MONKEY SCHOOL BUS with workshops to share others community-based programs and MORE!
What kind of MONKEY are you? Got Joke?
We will continue to visit many of the world’s leading scientists, researchers, oncologists, social workers and members of the medical community, who share our mission of improving communication with the unfortunate families who are thrust into the terrifying journey that starts with a child's diagnosis.
I ask for your help to accelerate my efforts and provide the opportunity for me to continue building my incredible team with those who share my passion. I will be working side by side with "ORIGINAL MONKEY," Marty McPhee, my pal since she was a dolphin trainer at the Brookfield Zoo. We have always planned to join forces ever since she rallied zoologists from around the world to send Miles animal videos. And yes, that's why I post so many animal videos on Facebook.
I will be working round the clock until the end of the year, continuing to make videos for worthy causes, and documenting every step of the way. In just the next few weeks, the Jokes4Miles team starts editing a Camp Onestep video featuring their kids on the slopes in Utah. With these upcoming projects, we will train young filmmakers along the way. Next, we go back to Ohio for meetings at the Cincinnati Zoo to brainstorm more animal experiences for patients. Then we return to the Mayo Clinic, where 3 renowned oncologists have reached out to us, to produce the first in a series of informational videos for families, with the intent to comfort and ease the shock during those first days of diagnosis.
We have been overwhelmed with incredible support. When I hear from numerous doctors who want to join forces and ask for my help, I am empowered to recruit more MEDICAL MONKEYS and SUPPORT MONKEYS.
From The Baxter Kid’s Hospital Care-a-van, we will invite parents, social workers, nurses, and doctors to visit our site and nominate SUPER MONKEYS, those children in treatment, for a joke campaign. We are not limited to kids in America. Miles initiated our first international joke campaign in Spanish, for a girl in Mexico who also lost her battle. And we will continue to expand. This leg of our journey departs Chicago on the first day of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, September 1, 2019, and returns home New Year's Eve. Enroute we will ask people to continue translating caregiver tips as we have in over 16 languages and counting. I will have 15,700 jokes and well wishes, waiting for every child who is diagnosed each year in the United States.
WE ARE NOT KICKSTARTING A GOOD IDEA. WE ARE GROWING THE MANY PROVEN PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS THAT HAVE BENEFITED MANY OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. WERE NOT REPEATING HISTORY, WE'RE MAKING IT!
I have never taken a salary from Jokes4Miles since 2012 on the day I promised my son I never would. One generous man has underwritten all of our efforts for the past seven years. We have NEVER solicited or accepted monetary contributions. As Jeremy has moved on to new adventures and opportunities, J4M will continue through volunteerism, gifts in kind, and Merchandise sales. Jokes4Miles asks everyone to share a joke or well wish, and if you like what we do, you can buy a t-shirt. 100% of all funds go directly to support the programs and productions of Jokes4Miles. Moving forward every transaction and expenditure will be posted for the public.
Today, I have no reservation in asking for financial support as we spin off the production side of Jokes4Miles, to expand the vision of the organization's founders - myself, Natasa and Jeremy. I need the "fuel" to document with my team of volunteers and filmmakers, The Baxter Kid’s Hospital Care-a-van and fulfill the many production requests we receive weekly.
Funds will be used ONLY for production, travel, food, accommodations, meeting expenses, studio and equipment rentals, gas, vehicle costs, and crew stipends, as we prepare for the hospital leg of the tour. Every expenditure will be posted in complete transparency to the public on our site and GOFUNDME page. A running tally will show EXACTLY where your support goes.
I ask everyone to first and foremost pledge or tell a joke to a kid facing cancer on our website when we open our site to the public. If you like what we do, you can buy a Jokes4Miles T-Shirt on our Shopify site.
If you love animals and DOGS, and know first hand their ability to heal and inspire, help fund directly - A Dog, A Man, A Plan, The Baxter Kid’s Hospital Care-a-van on GOFUNDME and the dozens of filmmakers who have volunteered, interned or worked for expenses while lending us their equipment, since day one.
What kind of MONKEY are you? Got Joke?
Visit our Shopify. 100% of every sale supports the programs of Jokes4Miles.
https://shop.jokes4miles.com/
I have healed primarily because of my dog BAXTER. Happier than I have ever been, I will now introduce my little lifesaver and share the love with kids who can use it most. He has been training to play "banana hide & seek," and to react to kids telling him jokes. He has spent months in Florida with my friends and animal conservationists. A few more reinforcement sessions and we return to The Mayo Clinic Pediatric Ward to get the ball rolling. This can happen as soon as in the next few weeks, depending on the support we receive!
Below is a video that will introduce you to my son's legacy - Jokes4Miles and my plan to share it.
BAXTER leads a “Care-a-van” to visit every children’s hospital in the U.S. Marty McPhee, from Disney's Animal Kingdom helps organize. Joining us will be families, celebrities and entertainers in
MINI MAC traveling stage packed with free merchandise for kids and siblings.
ROLLING ROUNDTABLE / PODCAST and production truck.
MONKEY SCHOOL BUS with workshops to share others community-based programs and MORE!
What kind of MONKEY are you? Got Joke?
We will continue to visit many of the world’s leading scientists, researchers, oncologists, social workers and members of the medical community, who share our mission of improving communication with the unfortunate families who are thrust into the terrifying journey that starts with a child's diagnosis.
I ask for your help to accelerate my efforts and provide the opportunity for me to continue building my incredible team with those who share my passion. I will be working side by side with "ORIGINAL MONKEY," Marty McPhee, my pal since she was a dolphin trainer at the Brookfield Zoo. We have always planned to join forces ever since she rallied zoologists from around the world to send Miles animal videos. And yes, that's why I post so many animal videos on Facebook.
I will be working round the clock until the end of the year, continuing to make videos for worthy causes, and documenting every step of the way. In just the next few weeks, the Jokes4Miles team starts editing a Camp Onestep video featuring their kids on the slopes in Utah. With these upcoming projects, we will train young filmmakers along the way. Next, we go back to Ohio for meetings at the Cincinnati Zoo to brainstorm more animal experiences for patients. Then we return to the Mayo Clinic, where 3 renowned oncologists have reached out to us, to produce the first in a series of informational videos for families, with the intent to comfort and ease the shock during those first days of diagnosis.
We have been overwhelmed with incredible support. When I hear from numerous doctors who want to join forces and ask for my help, I am empowered to recruit more MEDICAL MONKEYS and SUPPORT MONKEYS.
From The Baxter Kid’s Hospital Care-a-van, we will invite parents, social workers, nurses, and doctors to visit our site and nominate SUPER MONKEYS, those children in treatment, for a joke campaign. We are not limited to kids in America. Miles initiated our first international joke campaign in Spanish, for a girl in Mexico who also lost her battle. And we will continue to expand. This leg of our journey departs Chicago on the first day of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, September 1, 2019, and returns home New Year's Eve. Enroute we will ask people to continue translating caregiver tips as we have in over 16 languages and counting. I will have 15,700 jokes and well wishes, waiting for every child who is diagnosed each year in the United States.
WE ARE NOT KICKSTARTING A GOOD IDEA. WE ARE GROWING THE MANY PROVEN PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS THAT HAVE BENEFITED MANY OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. WERE NOT REPEATING HISTORY, WE'RE MAKING IT!
I have never taken a salary from Jokes4Miles since 2012 on the day I promised my son I never would. One generous man has underwritten all of our efforts for the past seven years. We have NEVER solicited or accepted monetary contributions. As Jeremy has moved on to new adventures and opportunities, J4M will continue through volunteerism, gifts in kind, and Merchandise sales. Jokes4Miles asks everyone to share a joke or well wish, and if you like what we do, you can buy a t-shirt. 100% of all funds go directly to support the programs and productions of Jokes4Miles. Moving forward every transaction and expenditure will be posted for the public.
Today, I have no reservation in asking for financial support as we spin off the production side of Jokes4Miles, to expand the vision of the organization's founders - myself, Natasa and Jeremy. I need the "fuel" to document with my team of volunteers and filmmakers, The Baxter Kid’s Hospital Care-a-van and fulfill the many production requests we receive weekly.
Funds will be used ONLY for production, travel, food, accommodations, meeting expenses, studio and equipment rentals, gas, vehicle costs, and crew stipends, as we prepare for the hospital leg of the tour. Every expenditure will be posted in complete transparency to the public on our site and GOFUNDME page. A running tally will show EXACTLY where your support goes.
I ask everyone to first and foremost pledge or tell a joke to a kid facing cancer on our website when we open our site to the public. If you like what we do, you can buy a Jokes4Miles T-Shirt on our Shopify site.
If you love animals and DOGS, and know first hand their ability to heal and inspire, help fund directly - A Dog, A Man, A Plan, The Baxter Kid’s Hospital Care-a-van on GOFUNDME and the dozens of filmmakers who have volunteered, interned or worked for expenses while lending us their equipment, since day one.
What kind of MONKEY are you? Got Joke?
Visit our Shopify. 100% of every sale supports the programs of Jokes4Miles.
https://shop.jokes4miles.com/
Organizer
Len Austrevich
Organizer
Chicago, IL