Mission: iPossible

Mission 3

2012-02-17T16:35:00.012-05:00

You may have heard me say before that we had acquired the funds over the winter, thanks to a rather large donation from a single donor, for around 6 iPads, give or take. That is absolutely true. But after some internal discussions, we decided not to go with 6 iPads for Mission 3, and we also decided not to hold up Mission 3 any longer than it was already being held up.

Lemme explain.

First about the delay. I've been trying to get an HTML form put together for a few weeks now in my spare time. Some type of an interface that would make entering data for your child a snap. Well, suffice it to say, even HTML for Dummies isn't helping this dummy, and I am having a little trouble getting it to work right.

But time just keeps on passing and this is REALLY gnawing at me. It wasn't gnawing at me so much while my son was gnawing at me while his behavioral problems were in massive overdrive. But now, since his behavior has started to seriously calm down, and I mean seriously, I have had a bit more time to think and I want to get things moving again.

And having things held up by something like an online form is just...well, it's silly. We can still do the giveaways the old-fashioned way while we have the means to do so, while we work out any of the other junk, know what I mean?

SO...why keep waiting, let's start Mission 3 now, shall we?

Now about the QTY of iPads. Mission 3 will be for 3 iPads. Mission 4 will be for 4 iPads. And so on and so on and so on. That puts us short for the amount we need for Mission 4, so we will simultaneously start an external and internal fund-raising effort now.

This helps, in fact it is HUGE, to keeping us motivated to work on something, have a GOAL, which we all agree is part of what we need as a tool, and it also helps to have something UP to sort of all have as constantly striving forward. Otherwise it is just always sort of hanging. Does that make sense? Hope so, because it makes perfect sense to me.

With no definition of where we wanna go there is no real path and with no path there is no journey. I just made that up...gonna be a big, big hit. ;)

The Mission 3 Recipients will be selected from the group of Pre-Qualified Candidates on the Tabbed Page on this website and any new Applicants who enter in the Comments section below. Selection will not be by Random Selection Process as before. I was not comfortable with that after all was said and done. I do not think any of us were.

We are simply going to make the selections internally and announce the Recipients. During that announcement process we'll talk about what led us to the decision regarding who was chosen in this particular round. It is not as 'easy' as a Random process, it is infinitely more difficult. I believe in this world we live in it is an opportunity to take the element of 'chance' out of the equation...something that, in a Special Needs setting is, at least in my mind, a good thing.

As before, we'll be giving away the same type of iPad.

You know the drill...the 16GB, Wi-Fi models that we gave out in Missions 1 & 2. Not the 3G capable kind.

In order to become eligible to enter this giveaway, unless you are already on the Pre-Qualified Candidates Page, you need only do the following:

Take a photograph of your child or use an existing one you already have and host it somewhere on the Internet. Then you can copy/paste the below into the comments section because you can use it as your guide to creating your entry, that way you won't forget to include what you need and have to make a second comment or, God forbid, forget something entirely and end up with a disqualified entry like the last time.

If you just copy/paste and change the below to have all YOUR INFO, you will be GOLDEN...just set up your entry like the following sample and there should be no problems at all. If you do not have a blog then just write N/A in that field.

CHILD'S NAME: BENNETT

PARENT CONTACT NAME: KEN

E-MAIL: kenlilly@blogzilly.com

BLOG: http://blogzilly.blogspot.com/

PHOTO LINK: http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d191/residentlilly/Z-Random_Stuff/ben.jpg

STATEMENT: Write a statement here, can be long or short, totally up to you, regarding what your child's communication-related disability is and why you believe your child would benefit from this groundbreaking technology. Why the request for the photo and the text? WE WANT TO GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE WE SERVICE. Plain and simple. We like pictures of kids, and it is important to not just be names and numbers. This is still about community.

You do not have to INSERT your child's photo. I only did because this is a blog and I am trying to make it visually interesting. And Bennett is damn cute in that little PJ outfit. And I am just glad he is SMILING again instead of trying to rip my face off.

Anyway...if you are selected as a Recipient, you MAY be asked to fill out an Eligibility Form, Release Form, etc., similar to the ones we had up previously on our site, and this may or may not include various documentations such as a letter of need from a Speech Therapist or Physician in your child's life. (But don't sweat any of this kind of thing PLEASE...and remember...full Privacy applies to this part, any of that kind of info stays private.)

These types of things are vital so that we can verify that any Recipient is a child in need of an iPad and that said child does indeed have a communication-related disability. We are, after all, trying to fulfill a Humanitarian mission here, and we don't want to just give out iPads to everyone, though that would be great if we could.

Because of our new format, submission of Application for Candidacy is always open now, and the acceptance for entries will remain open indefinitely, but the deadline for announcement of Mission 3 Recipients will be Friday, March 9, 2012 at 12:00 PM EST. It is open to anyone...anywhere.

A FEW BASIC GUIDELINES
- Only one entry per household, even if you have more than one child with a disability.
- Entries must follow all specified guidelines or they will not qualify.
- These rules are flexible, as in subject to change and variate as the giveaway progresses.
- As always, there is no fee for entry.
- It would be much appreciated if you are on the Pre-Q page, as one has already done, to let us know if you have already picked up a device for your kiddo so we can clear a slot.

That about covers it I think...pretty self-explanatory right? Easy-peezy, yeah?

If you have any questions at all...ANY...just hit me up at mip@blogzilly.com with MISSION 3 QUESTIONS in the Subject line and I will get right on them.

But other than that?

PEACE.

Getting a Handle on the Candidates

2012-02-13T10:50:00.005-05:00

I need a bit of a helping hand. Two...if you have 'em.

You, and by 'You' I mean, 'You-The-Members-Of-The-Community-At-Large', are always saying to me...'Hey Ken, you don't need to shoulder all this by yourself, if you need some help, by all means ask for help.'

Well, I needs me some help.

I'm trying to consolidate our list of Pre-Q Candidates before we start opening it up for new Applicants. And I want to open it up, get the revised single-page Application/Verification process up and get everything rolling on Mission 3 as of, like, yesterday.

From our little Mission 2 giveaway, this is the list I was able to put together so far, and if you don't mind, can a few of you just put your eyes on it, check it against the entries and say 'Yeah that looks about right, dude.' for me, please? It would help me a lot.

01 EMILIA
02 ANNA
03 SWEET PEA'S MOMMY
04 NORIKO (NK)
05 NICOLE
06 PRISCILLA
07 JENNIFER
08 SUSAN KIESER
09 CHARISSA
10 STEPHBRAUN
11 STEPHANIE
12 CATHY
13 COLEY
14 DANI
15 STEPHANIE
16 ALICIA
17 KELLY
18 LAURA
19 SARAH
20 REBECCA
21 ANTHONY

Please note that Anthony is on this list because after the giveaway the person that entered him in the contest reached out to me and communicated with me, explaining the faux pas regarding the e-mail snafu, and now I have a viable way of reaching her. It was too late to get him entered into the drawing on Mission 2, but he is a PQC from here on out.

I need to go in and...enhance the list, actually do it as Child Name, Parent Name, and then info/pic, and I will do that and make it all purty and such before I put it on the main tabbed page but this I just grabbed off the Randomizer List I had so that I could make sure I had everyone.

Now...over the last six months, since this venture started, there were a handful of people who sent in physical paper or e-mail inquiries. I have a standard language response I send out to everyone who inquires about any iPads for that. I suggest to all of them, when we are not running anything, to subscribe to this blog via the feedburner or whatever method they choose because here is where they will always get the latest updates as to when we will be running any news about any giveaways.

There isn't any way to cross-check those folks, I always had it as a sort of 'We're still sort of a 'Mom & Pop Shop' and we don't have the resources to track down every person who may send us a note. Gotta stick to that (because it is truer now than ever). SO...if you do not see your name on this list, and you sent in something before, just reach out to me, let me know you did, and if it was an e-mail send it to me again. If it was paper send me an e-mail telling me about it. I keep all that stuff on file, I'll pull it and I'll get your child's name into the PQC list.

Make sense?

If not, let me know if there is a question and I'll get on it.

PEACE.

Big Time

2012-02-10T21:48:00.000-05:00

There are those people in your life, who live in this community and who take leadership positions in it, who often send you lifelines when you are floundering about with your difficulties, even though often their OWN difficulties are massive by comparison. Elizabeth, a very vocal supporter of the Mission: iPossible group, and a dear friend, is one such person.

Elizabeth will be a part of a Webinar, a Live Question and Answer session, on Valentine's Day, entitled Using Technology to Communicate with Your Developmentally Disabled Child. You'll note that when you click on the link in the title, that it is a reference to Part II.

The first Webinar, the one I did not post about, you can find at this link.

Unfortunately I've been a bit saturated with things on the home front, as you may have noticed, and I missed that one, at least the participation of 'spreading the word', and for that I apologize, to Elizabeth and to you, the community to which I owe a bit more in the way of being on my toes.

But hey...there is also something to be said about the notion of putting on one's own margarine cup oxygen thingie and getting it secured, before putting it on the person in the seat next to you. Or something like that. ;)

I'll do better in the next plane crash. Promise.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Alive & Kicking

2012-02-08T15:05:00.001-05:00

Hi. Yeah I know. Been a while.

In BOTH places. Which is why I am simultaneously posting this in both my blog and at Mission: iPossible. It probably violates some blogoverse rule and will cause the world to implode, so sue me. To me? Whatever gets the wheels of progress turning. That is what is most important.

It occurred to me, while trying to figure out how to best serve the current Mission 3 parameters, that there are quite a few parents out there who have already done the whole 'send in the story' thang. Who have already sent in their child's information, the history, the e-mail, the whole shebang.

Why go through it again?

We don't think they should have to. So currently I'm working out something that can fit into this blog format with fairly simplistic ease (not an easy task...blogger is not as user friendly as you might think) for this and future giveaways so that anyone who enters and doesn't get an iPad and maybe who doesn't find one through other means can have their info stored here. You'll see a tabbed page now called 'PRE-QUALIFIED CANDIDATES', probably a temporary title for now, and I will work it into there somehow.

Of course, that will also require some work on our part to make sure that the people who are still eligible haven't found one already, but we'll work that out as we go.

Work in progress, work in progress. I keep telling myself that...not just here, but as we try to figure out how to work through the behavioral nightmare that is my son Bennett's latest...what's the word I should use? Shitstorm?

Hey! This, at least the Mission: iPossible site, is supposed to be a FAMILY-friendly blog, mister! It still is, don't worry...show me a family with a disabled child where an S-bomb hasn't been dropped, from time to time. ;)

We'll make it through. We always do. And to those of you who have been reaching out with severe concern for my well being? Thanks. I do appreciate it. My psychiatrist has increased my medication, sadly, to try and level me off...dammit, that was something I had hoped to avoid. But waddya gonna do? Sometimes, you have to choose paths that go through very thick weeds to get to the oasis, know what I mean? Consequently for the past several days I have been trying to adjust.

Groggy? Meet Foggy. With a dose of Sleepy and Out of It.

That very same psychiatrist, who is a true diamond in the rough doctor, a rare gift, was asking me about Bennett...trying to find out who was managing his care on the Behavioral Psych side of things. I told him no one at the moment. At Cleveland Clinic, his Behavioral Psychiatrist had retired, and we have not found one here to replace him, and we are not able to take him to the local hospital for a lot of reasons, many of which I shared with the Doc.

I did tell him that we contacted 14 Behavioral Psychiatrists here in the area...FOURTEEN, and none were taking new patients. But I also told him that things were completely out of control and I told him some of the things that had happened.

He just looked at me and said.

'I'll see him.'

And in three and a half weeks, he is going to. He said that it will require a little more work on his part, and some research into Bennett's background and some info from me, but he wants to help, as much for Bennett as for me, since I am his patient too and helping Bennett helps me too.

Don't find 'em like that much anymore, do ya?

It isn't long term, but it was something very...nice, in what has been a very long stretch of dark these past few months.

That's about it for now. Back in a bit with some more on the giveaway, an intro to a new member, and a shout out to one in our community who has a way cool webinar to share.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Setting the Table

2012-01-31T10:55:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody. Been a while. Not too long, but we're about ready to get things started on our third Mission.

You'll start to notice, if you tend to notice these types of things, some little tweaks and such happening on the pages that are on this site as well as to our Facebook page. It is all some prep we are doing as we get ready to begin Mission 3.

Already I've gone in and started to re-work some of the info, and will continue to, to get it a little more streamlined. If you have any suggestions, feel free to give us a shout at what will be our new address for a bit, mip@blogzilly.com. We have the domain name missionipossible.com and .org, and I am working on e-mail addy's for that, but one step at a time.

Mission 3 will involve 6 iPads, and the good news is that we have the funds in place, for the most part, for all 6 already, so a new donation drive will not be required. Just like Mission 2. We will need to get some ducks in a row as far as some of the odds and ends for fulfillment, but there should be adequate time for that, because we still need to get the parameters put together for how we will be handling this Mission and obviously the application part will have to unfold.

Stay tuned for that, it will all be coming to you over the next few days. I need to get some of those old forms looked at with some fresh eyes (and brain), decide what we need and what we don't, and move on from there. It's been...rather hectic in our household (to say the least) but I at wanted to put the word out there for anyone who was interested to know that another run at some iPads was imminent, because it is.

And that is never bad news, NATCH!

I'll check in again soon with more.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iHelene

2012-01-18T13:00:00.002-05:00

I must have started this blog a half a dozen times, then gone back and erased the few paragraphs I had written.

Evolution of self is a crazy thing. If you are open to it, it can lead you in some wonderful directions in your life. If you are closed to it, if you find yourself bogged down by fear, anger, aggression...well, before I start sounding too much like Yoda, let's just say that you can very easily just miss out on so many lessons Life tries to teach you.

The reason I kept erasing the text was that I kept starting this post with apologies. I kept apologizing for the delay in getting it written, the delay in wrapping up this Mission 2, the delay in getting set to go with the announcement of Mission 3, for the this and the that.

And I realized...I have done that, and continue to do so, quite often, and not just here. I do it on my own space, I do it on other spaces where I might be invited to guest write. I do it a lot...in my everyday Life.

I think I am beginning to have an understanding as to the 'Why', but I'll talk about it somewhere else since I don't plan to make this post all about me. I will only say this about this place and this space. It's always been and always will be an Open Book. And it will remain so.

It is a reflection, perhaps, of who Heather and I are and whoever else comes to the table, and I like it that way. It is a perpetual Work in Progress, it is in its infancy, and it has much growing yet to do, because it, like all of us, is evolving too.

But it is Good. It does Good. And I think that I don't need to apologize that I can't give it the time I want every day, or every week, right now. I give it what I can, and when I can I'll give it more.

Because I do love it, and man-oh-MAN does it give back TEN-FOLD.

When I first read Suzie's entry regarding her daughter Helene, I recall some of her statements LEAPING out at me. Reminding me, strikingly, of my son Bennett.

'Helene...seemingly flourishes in the confines of a genetic disorder in the family of overgrowth syndromes, while the specific syndrome cannot be pinpointed (probably a mutation of one or more). Helene has Autism, a very limited vocabulary of one-two word phrases...a disregard for many social norms, and unbridled enthusiasm for all things related to sugar.'

'She is clearly creative and funny, with limited avenues for expression. For instance, she recently seemed to find it amusing to watch us find toys she had hidden in food. A small plastic baby found in the simmering tomato sauce, a tiny plush cookie monster upside down in a glass of milk, Dr. Doom staring up at me when I opened up the sour cream.'

I can't explain why, because Bennett does none of those things exactly, but the sense of humor, the ability to HAVE humor, is something that Bennett does not lack, despite his tremendous disabilities. And I just had an...impression, that Helene had a similar disposition.

Humor certainly helps, a lot...and I wish that all of us had more of it in our lives. Especially with our kids. Those of us that do...it is a very special gift. The sound of laughter, especially from a kid, does it get better?

We need to have it as well. Us, the parents I mean.

Suzie certainly does, as this little passage from her e-mail she sent me when they first got the iPad indicates. She was telling me a little about Helene, they had not yet given her the device but were waiting until Christmas. (And again...her description...sounds like she could be writing about Bennett, at least to me.)

'Helene is really beside herself about Christmas, in both good and trying ways. She is a veteran tree-decorator (on and off with those ornaments, again and again), holiday dancer, repetitive Grinch watcher, (Oh, those Whos down in WhoVille, the tall and the small...), cookie tracker and eater, and is exhibiting rather stunning and remarkable self-control over the mailing boxes that are coming in the door. Somehow she is fully aware they are presents, and must wait.'

'On the other hand, she has had an alarming number of tantrums, including the lay-on-the-asphalt variety at the Zoo the other day. The gang of kids and moms in attendance labeled it Helene's version of 'Occupy Zoo' behavior.'

'I sat on a bench and sighed...deeply...'

Sounds like a Mom you would want to hang with, right? I think that you ought to write a blog, Suzie, I really do. And of course, there was this little ditty that I got shortly after the iPad was given to Helene as a Christmas present.

'Helene has been waging a passionate love affair with the iPad. I (somewhat haphazardly) loaded some apps that I thought would be useful for her: a few movies, read along books, and several communication apps that include puzzles, word scramble, etc. She has already become so proficient at the word scramble, I have to research one with harder words.'

'She's been running around the house yelling opposites: Up! Down! Inside! Outside! Open! Shut! And spelling p-e-a-c-o-c-k and w-a-t-e-r-m-e-l-o-n! (Well, honestly, the end of watermelon gets lost, but you get the idea.) Mind you, this is from a girl who has VERY little to say generally.'

'The iPad has been a wonderful boon to her, and by extension, our family, and I've signed myself up for an apps class via an Autism task force so I can better meet her needs. We thank you again for making this possible for us. It has all been, as Helene would exclaim, DE-LICIOUS!'

Indeed it was.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iDaniel

2012-01-06T13:45:00.001-05:00

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times.

The best part about this...experience, for lack of a better descriptive term, is that moment when, after having sent out the iPads, we get the pictures in of the children using the devices with their families.

Never gets tired. Never gets old.

It's like during the winter, when you are blessed with a slightly warmer than average day (if you happen to live up here in the Mid-West or other cold climates), and you have been trapped WAY too long inside your home. Cooped up. Contained. Forced to breathe re-circulated, dry, manufactured air from your heating system. But on this day, this special day, you get to go outside in something less than full Hoth Gear, and you feel a blast of crisp cool, FRESH air and it caresses your face when you walk around and you feel...renewed.

Yeah...that's what it's like. Kinda sorta.

Carolyn, who writes the blog Daniel's Gift, sent me some photos of her son Daniel and the iPad they received as one of our pair of Mission 2 Recipients. Carolyn timed the iPad to give it to Daniel for his 13th birthday. She wrote a bit about it on one of her posts about the birthday itself, and she shared this with us as well.

Daniel doesn't talk, but man can that boy play. His favorite toys when he was a tiny kid were anything with lights and music. He had a little jukebox that played tunes and lit up when he spun the roller in the middle. He wore the color off the plastic making that thing go!

When I started hearing about the iPad and all of the applications for learning and special needs, I knew he needed one. He loves grabbing cell phones away from anyone within reach. He likes the way the screen lights up, and his fingertips can make it DO things (although some of the accidental calls haven't been convenient).

Daniel doesn't have a formal diagnosis, but he's been assessed as autistic. His fine motor skills are something he works on everyday. Just holding his cup can be challenging at times. The iPad is already a big motivator for him in this area. He loves the apps that allow him to make colors appear (with sound, no less) and bubble wrap pop with a flick of his finger. There is so much potential for learning and eventually communicating that it can't be overstated just how valuable a gift this was for him on his thirteenth birthday.

Thank you for making this possible for him!

It was and always will be our pleasure. Can't wait to see more updates on Daniel's progress, and wish him and your family nothing but the best in the coming year.

These two iPads both came to be given to Heather by some very interesting circumstances. Perhaps if we lean on her enough she'll agree to do a write-up on the history of both of them and their 'stories'. It's fascinating stuff.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

This Is How It's Done!

2012-01-02T14:10:00.002-05:00

For a long time now, I've always said how we never could have pulled off our Mission One project without the help of the Strong family. Taking us under their wing and offering us an opportunity to take shelter under the umbrella of The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation for purposes of collecting donations for our venture? It was game-changing.

It restored so much trust and faith in this community after what happened with the allegedly fraudulent contest that led to the creation of this group, and I believe it was by the grace of The GSF that the first Mission was accomplished in only 76 days. And though I know that at some point MiP will need to go its own way and become its own separate entity, its own non-profit group, I don't think there is any way I will ever be able to express my gratitude to the Strongs for what they did and continue to do.

Today they announced a new initiative of their own called Project Mariposa, where they will be giving away 50 iPads in 50 weeks to children with SMA. You can find all the details regarding their program over at their site, and for your convenience I have linked to today's blog post here. Be sure to read about a new app they are designing.

You heard me. An app THEY ARE CREATING. You can read about it by following one of the links on the Project Mariposa page. Its exciting stuff.

This...THIS...is inspiring. But then again, most of what Bill, Victoria and Gwendolyn do is. It will be fantastic to watch it all unfold over the course of the next several months.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Mission Two Recepients Revealed!

2011-12-16T13:00:00.002-05:00

Almost from the moment we had decided to do this as a 'Random Sequence' selection process, I think it is safe to say that we had some reservations about it. Not because of the fact that it leaves so many things in the hands of chance (as Special Needs parents I think we all have had just about enough of that thank you very much) but for a much more profound reason.

Because after you read people's STORIES, they always have an impact on you.

Should have known better. Like I always say...I get too wrapped up.

BUT...then you look at the flip side of it. Had this been a giveaway based on a person's story, I cannot imagine how difficult it would have been to actually CHOOSE. It would have been an almost Herculean effort to whittle it down to a mere two Recipients to receive the devices from such a deserving list of Applicants.

This will throw you for a loop, mainly those people reading who were around back when the original iPad Contest happened. You know the one I mean, the one that was held at 'that other place', the one that went wrong. The one that actually sort of led to the creation of this group.

This experience made me wonder about something. I've often wondered what happened to the person who was running that gig. Was he the real deal and did he just get in over his head? Or was this some kind of a James Ford thingamabob? A long con? I will never know. I CAN never know.

But I can tell you this. For the first time in this WHOLE chunk of time, I can see how easy it might be to start making promises you just can't keep, so that you don't hurt anybody. Believe me, I am not making any rationalizations or excuses for what happened over there...I'm only telling those who have been here from the beginning that when you do this kind of thing, on this side of the fence, you are afforded a perspective that gives you insight that you would not believe.

Things here, though, have to be different.

We can't make promises that we can't keep. We've got two iPads right now and only two.

But only right now.

So to those people who were not fortunate enough to finish in the top two slots let me say this...hang in there. We do plan to tackle a Mission 3. We do plan to make it much larger than Mission 2. The parameters will not be just a random thing either. And we do plan to do it with vigor and intensity.

And the best news of all is, fund-raising is not only already IN the works and happening behind the scenes, but Mission 3 will not have the gap between Missions that the first and the second one did. We plan to get started very quickly after the first of the year putting our third, and hopefully best thus far, effort forward.

But enough jibber-jabber. You want to know the results. And I am going to get to them, but there is one last piece of business to attend to. And it is very, very important.

There were 23 people, I refer to them for the sake of clarity as Applicants, who submitted entries. I was only able to accept 22 to submit to the Random List Sequencer to generate the Recipients.

I wrestled with this, and it was discussed internally at length, but the decision was made that we HAD to disqualify the last entry, since there was no valid e-mail address. That does not mean that Anthony would not be eligible to participate in any future giveaways here, but I had to be fair to the majority of the families on the list of Applicants.

In the rules it did state that a valid e-mail address was required, and many folks actually posted their e-mail in a follow-up because they forgot to do so, or e-mailed it to me privately, just to be sure. I didn't ask for much as far as entry qualifications, but if I had qualified that entry and it was one of the Recipients, I would have no leg to stand on if one of the other Applicants was upset that one of their qualifying entries had not been selected.

And putting the entry in decreases the odds for the other Applicants, all of whom met the Entry Requirements.

This was not an easy decision to make, and I do hope that there is a level of understanding about this. We had to do what we thought was the most fair to the most people.

The final list of Applicants was compiled and created in general order of submission and looked like this list below, with everyone assigned a Number.

1 EMILIA
2 ANNA
3 SWEET PEA'S MOMMY
4 CAROLYN
5 NORIKO (NK)
6 NICOLE
7 PRISCILLA
8 JENNIFER
9 SUSAN KIESER
10 CHARISSA
11 STEPHBRAUN
12 SUZIE
13 STEPHANIE
14 CATHY
15 COLEY
16 DANI
17 STEPHANIE
18 ALICIA
19 KELLY
20 LAURA
21 SARAH
22 REBECCA

This list was then taken to Random.org and I used the List Randomizer, which generated the following results:

That means that Daniel, whose mom Carolyn entered on his behalf and Helene, whose Mom Suzie entered on her behalf, are the Recipients for Mission 2. Congratulations to you both. Your iPads are going to be wrapped up today and shipped out if we can hear back from you and get all of your requested information. E-mails have been sent to you both right after this blog was published.

To all of the other Applicants. I am...pardon me...fumbling about, trying to figure out how to proceed with my words here. This is new, uncharted territory. It breaks my heart to not be able to turn around and say 'Hey! Wait! iPads for everybody!' What I wouldn't give for that kind of power. That kind of wealth and ability. I'm sorry that we couldn't help you this time, but I pray, with all my heart, that there will be a next time.

So please, like I said, hang tight. Another Mission is around the corner, and frankly? You're stories...you're children are my inspiration to work that much harder to make this group grow into something bigger, something better...so that we can serve more people in this community. Thank you so much for sharing them with everyone.

I hope you all have a fantastic holiday season, full of joy, love and most of all...hope.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Mission Two: Special Needs iPad Giveaway for the Holidays 2011

2011-12-01T18:15:00.004-05:00

Who'da thunk it? Here it is at last.

Got a bit sidetracked earlier in the week. A bit of a cold bug, which I wrote about in my own personal blog. No need to go over it here. So here we go, on with the actual giveaway parameters for the launch of our second iPad Mission.

We're handling this Mission a bit differently, like I said before, because, well, Mission One was more of a Restoration Effort. From here on out, we get to do what we want to do. And since Mission Three is much broader in scope, Mission Two is much tighter, because of the time frame.

Essentially, we've got two iPads to give away.

These are the 16GB, Wi-Fi models that we gave out in Mission One. Not the 3G capable kind. They are both black. The color is not negotiable because we have them in hand already. They were each received by Heather via unique and interesting circumstances, and I'll be sharing the stories here in the coming days.

In order to become eligible to enter this giveaway, you need to do the following:

1. Take a photograph of your child or use an existing one you already have and host it somewhere on the Internet.
2. Write a statement of no less than 100 words about what your child's communication-related disability is and why you believe your child would benefit from this groundbreaking technology. Why the request for the photo and the text? WE WANT TO GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE WE SERVICE. Plain and simple. We like pictures of kids, and it is important to not just be names and numbers. This is still about community.
3. Post a link to the photo of your child at the end of your comment.
4. Post the entry here.
5. NOPE, the link doesn't count as part of the 100-word count, silly!
6. Please limit your comments in this blog post to entries only. I have a separate post, called Mission Two: Questions and Answers, all ready to go if you have any Questions (or even comments). (EDIT 12/03/11: Comment away and ask your questions here. I gave it some thought and after seeing that there wasn't really a deluge, and also realizing that I was making this whole thing a bit more complicated than it needed to be, I'm revising #6. Hey, so I made a wee bit of a mistake...happens. :) )

If you are selected as a Recipient, you MAY be asked to fill out an Eligibility Form, Release Form, etc., similar to the ones we had up previously on our site (I will get the revised ones up shortly with Mission Two specific parameters), and this may or may not include various documentations such as a letter of need from a Speech Therapist or Physician in your child's life. (But don't sweat any of this kind of thing PLEASE...and remember...full Privacy applies to this part, any of that kind of info stays private.)

These types of things are vital so that we can verify that any Recipient is a child in need of an iPad and that said child does indeed have a communication-related disability. We are, after all, trying to fulfill a Humanitarian mission here, and we don't want to just give out iPads to everyone, though that would be super radiliciously awesome if we could, 'natch.

This giveaway starts as soon as this post goes live and the acceptance for entries will remain open until Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST. It is open to U.S. Residents only this time around I'm sorry to say. But I assure you, all future Missions are not going to be limited in that fashion.

Yup, that's 2 weeks. 2 iPads. 2 families. Mission 2. It's liked I PLANNED IT!!!!

THE SKINNY
(Or if you prefer: The Specific Rules of Entry)

- Only one entry per household, even if you have more than one child with a disability.

- No entries will be accepted past the deadline. There will be no exceptions to this whatsoever, sorry.

- A valid e-mail address is absolutely required. If you leave a comment and you do not have a valid e-mail attached to your commenting name (as in you already write a blog or some such), then you MUST leave your e-mail address in your comment. If there is no e-mail, your entry will not qualify. (ADDENDUM: If you feel weird about leaving your e-mail address in a public forum, you can send it to me privately at residentlilly@gmail.com. I have no problem accepting it there.)

- We will assign everyone who enters a number after the giveaway is closed, and using the website random.org we will determine the Recipients. We will announce the Recipients here on this site, and if they respond and are reachable, as soon as we have confirmation and verification and all the ducks are a'quacking (that means everything checks out) we will ship out the iPads.

- If you are chosen as a Recipient, and the announcement is made of such a position, it is your responsibility to be available and able to be contacted regarding the details of the winning the giveaway (see above RE: valid e-mail address!) If you do not respond to our post or our message to you about your status within 24 hours of our announcement, you will become ineligible and the next family in sequence will become the Recipient of the iPad.

- As stated above, because of the short time frame, if you enter this contest, BE AVAILABLE. And be sure you have an e-mail that works. If you are worried about your e-mail functioning, then privately send me your phone number. Because as I said, if we do not hear back from a Recipient in 24 hours, another winner will be chosen. The idea is to get an iPad into the hands of two families for Christmas, not Easter!

- As a Recipient, it will also be up to you to move quickly as well on the paperwork side of things. I am going to work it out so that you do not have to mail it for this Mission. I am going to work it out so that I can have you send me what I need electronically. The forms will still be there, for reference sake, but I will work with someone so that at least for this Mission we have the ability to just do a transfer of info very fast. But if you do not have the Eligibility info available within 7 days of being informed of becoming a Recipient, you will become ineligible and the next family in sequence will become the Recipient of the iPad..

- These rules are flexible, as in subject to change and variate as the giveaway progresses, and there is no fee for entry.

That about covers it. If you have any question, fire away. Other than that, go ahead and get started!

Good luck!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Mission Two

2011-11-23T18:00:00.009-05:00

As I mentioned Monday, I wanted to make sure I got you all some preliminary info on what we want to do for a small follow-up to our first Mission.

Now, I say 'small', though I consider that to be a relative term. Hear me out.

Mission Two will be the giving of 2 iPads to 2 families in time for Christmas. But here's the thing. No donations required. We have the iPads already.

And while yeah...2 iPads are not 100, or 50, or 20 or even 10, ANY life that is changed by this technology is a good thing, and that's the way I gotta feel about it.

There is a story behind how we happened to end up with each of these iPads, each is kind of interesting, and we'll give them away here kinda like we did before, but we are going to go about it in a slightly different way, not in a 'merit-based decision' kind of way. At least for these two.

That doesn't mean John Q Public can enter the giveaway. There will be Special Needs parameters. But for this one there won't be forms and IEP's and the like to fill out, it will be a bit easier to enter, here through the blog site, but also a bit harder to win, since we don't have as many to go around.

Also we will, as we are doing this Mission Two: '2 for 2', begin our first (what we call) Side Mission (yes, I know I play WAY too many video games, Mom!), and I will go over the details on THAT next week. This will be in an effort to inspire some community giving over the holidays and perhaps get some more of these devices or other goodies into the hands of kids who really need them.

It's about all we can do for now, at least for the calendar year of 2011. 2012 might be painted with an entirely different brush, but as I have also alluded to, there are a lot of chestnuts in the fire, so to speak, things I am waiting to find out more about. But it's safe to say that we have some fairly lofty goals, it is simply going to take effort and time to achieve them.

But for now, I have GOT to get back to packing an automobile. Hope you all (those of you in the U.S. who celebrate this kind of thing) have a great Holiday weekend, full of family, friends, fun and if you get into that whole Black Friday thing...well, try not to go TOO crazy on the credit cards.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

My Dog Ate My Blog Post

2011-11-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to think of a really, really good excuse as to why I've let this blog sit here, unattended to, for over a month.

Figured the 'Dog-Eating' classic was as good as any other. Works for me! :)

Although, truth be told, I don't actually OWN a dog, so there is no possible way that a dog COULD have eaten my blog post. But I won't tell anybody if you won't.

Why the silence?

The REAL reason has been just sort of waiting to see what we wanted to do next. There was a possibility, still is a possibility, of something rather...major. And we want to see how it plays out. But since we don't have all the information on it yet, we can't really do anything.

Yet.

But, I can say that we are getting antsy. VERY antsy, and we want to start doing some stuff again. SO...we've decided to proceed with a smaller project now, and the larger project that we hope we are going to be able to be a part of somehow will have to be still be there, but we'll just need to sit tight on that while we do a few things now.

Confused? Don't worry...so am I. But it doesn't matter, because like anything else, all things start to become more focused as we move along.

I'll get the details on it sorted out this week in time for a Thanksgiving roll-out so we can get cooking on Mission Two and get it going for the Holidays.

There will be some updates, some follow-ups and other various announcements that we'll be making along the way.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iLuke S.

2011-10-14T16:35:00.001-04:00

One of the things that has reached out and grabbed me the most about the nature of this entire experience is that even though all the kids share the common characteristic of communication-related obstacles to overcome, it amazes me how unique each child's circumstances can be. How special each family really is.

What drives that home, with indescribable force, is reading the documentation of someone else's child.

If you have a child who is disabled, you know the type of stuff I am referring to. Those dreaded IEP's, or Individualized Education Plans. Or whatever variation they may be called in your neck of the woods. These are the written components of the reviews and meetings that we have with our children's Therapists and Teachers that document the 'progress' of the one we love.

And I put quotes on the word 'progress' for a reason, because as a good friend of mine, Sinead, once called them, they are not always Milestones for our kids like they are for the Typical Kids. They are often Inchstones.

I know Bennett has a QUARTERLY review. So every three months, I go to the school and I get to see, on paper, just how poorly he is doing. There are small nuggets of progress. And I need to learn, AND I WILL LEARN, how to turn those nuggets into a kingly feast, because they used to hardly nourish me at all. But that can change.

It was not until THIS experience, THIS Mission, that I was ever exposed to the same documents, but of kids other than my own.

And what a moving, precious, life-altering experience it has been. What an appreciation it has afforded me for all of the things that we ALL go through. Not just kids with Epilepsy, or Autism, or Brain Tumors. But kids with Down Syndrome, SMA, Miller Deiker Syndrome, Fragile-X Syndrome, Mitochondrial Disease, Cerebral Palsy and so many, many more.

Our kids may have different things that ail them, but we as Mothers and Fathers share one common characteristic...we are separated, you and I, as parents, from being able to relate to our kids in ways we NEED to. We can't communicate with our kids, sometimes on the most basic of levels. We can't express our feelings to our kids and even more painful to us? Our kids can't express THEIR feelings to us, or sometimes their most basic wants and needs so that we can take care of those things.

It's all we want. It's all we ever really need. At the core.

Obviously that does not apply to EVERY disability. If there is anything this journey has taught me it is exactly what I said when I started writing this: how unique each child's circumstances can be. There are some kids whose needs go WAY beyond mere communication, and I will not forget to mention them here. I think it important to always maintain perspective.

But these IEP's, and other reports, challenge us in many ways when it comes to trying to maintain a healthy overall attitude, something I have been working extra hard at trying to focus my energy on. And they can often attack some of the positive strides we make. At least, I have found this to be true with me and many of the blogger's out there who speak honestly about their experiences.

But I never realized or had an idea of how much reading these reports of OTHER children would effect me. And they do. Very much.

I should point out that I did not receive that many full-blown IEP's, which was fine. It was not an absolute requirement in this first Mission. Some chose to send one. Others did not. Totally groovy. And I tended to receive the ones sent in later as the main address was shifted from California to Ohio.

But that's technical.

When I opened up the folder that was sent in by Luke's Mom, I was struck by two things. First, by the sheer volume of stuff. Kelly sent in, bar none, the single thickest packet of all the parents. Second, the detail of all of the information. It was all very in-depth.

And as a matter of pure luck and timing, the packet happened to arrive when I was on my way to go to something where I knew I would have lots of time to sit and wait, and I took the packet with me to go over. I ended up reading the entire thing, front to back.

It was a profound experience, and I shared that with Kelly. By the end, I had tears streaming down my face. Her son had been through SO much, and it got to me. Their story got to me. And it was cumulative. I realized that EVERY kids story had gotten to me. I was more attached to this Mission than even I had understood. It has a...power.

But after I got myself together I also realized something...wonderful. Every story had also inspired me. Every story has lifted me up. Every story has made me happier, too...seeing the kids get something out of the experience, even if it the smallest of connections between parent and child.

I could not WAIT to get the iPad shipped and into their hands. And of course, in one of the kindest gestures imaginable, she shifted her position on 'The List' and moved Liam to her spot, all because of what the Olson's had been going through over the past few weeks.

A remarkable family. With a remarkable boy.

According to Kelly:

'I have to say that when your package arrived, I thought, Hmmm, I wonder what that is — completely forgetting the iPad was on its way. After having thought about this how device could benefit Luke for over a year now, it was actually surreal when it crossed our threshold.'

'For some reason, Luke thought the box itself was just the best thing ever. He got into one of his giggle fits (not so frequent, but much treasured in these parts) and just fell apart with laughter—and that was before we even switched it on. Of course, poor Luke's ancient mother and father stood around and eyed it nervously for a time, wondering what technological genius we required (and definitely lacked) in order to make it work. Honestly, I have no idea how it happened, but suddenly it was on, and I found myself searching for apps I'd researched months ago. WHAT FUN!!'

'Luke is seriously fascinated by the thing. He's not quite sure what to make of Doodle Buddy, but he seems to love how colors magically follow his fingertips when he touches the screen. Magic Piano is definitely his favorite (and great at getting him to use his right hand). He's also interested in the Tap to Talk app, and likes hearing a voice when he taps on the icons, and he really likes Elmo's ABCs. And he loves when his big brother is playing World of Goo or Bubblewrap!! We've only scratched the surface, but what a great start!'

'We have been on a long road since Luke's birth, and while there have been a number of detours that I would not wish to take again, there have also been moments of great joy and expressions of such kindness and generosity by people we have met along the way - this is definitely one of those "joy, kindness and generosity" experiences. I know you've said that you and Heather and your original cohorts don't require any thanks, but there's no way to have been on the receiving end of the Mission iPossible enterprise and not be filled with gratitude. It's about far more than a cool device; it's about my family's deep appreciation that you felt moved to take something that was negative and filled with suspicion and transformed it into something about community and hope. So... THANK YOU!!'

There is almost a...reluctance in me to end this post. Part of me does not want to, because it is the last 'iPost' of this first Mission. It's not the end of this entire endeavor, not by a long shot, just the end of one small part of it.
Still, feels...strange.

But I'm not going to dwell on the sadness of it, rather celebrate the fact that we met our goals and set out what we hoped to do, despite a lot of unexpected obstacles and with limited resources. This community is special. Very very special, indeed.

You done good, people!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iErin

2011-10-12T13:00:00.002-04:00

EIGHT.

Can you imagine? Eight kids.

Now, I find myself whining about the trials and tribulations about raising ONE Special Needs child and ONE Typical Child all the time, but EIGHT CHILDREN?

Unreal. But that is exactly what Kris, mother to Erin, and author of the blog Party of Ten handles, seemingly effortlessly, on a daily basis.

You might find that I am writing this a little less formally than you are used to seeing. Well, I have actually had the good fortune of getting to know a few people from The Twenty over the course of this journey, as I have mentioned before. Not sure of the reasons. Some people I guess just have responded to the fact that I am a strange melon.

Kris and I share a few common interests, one of which came to my attention when I saw her address. She lives in the Holy Land.

That's right. Green Bay, Wisconsin. Now...as cool as it is that Eric Olson got to go to Fenway Park with Liam, it is equally as amazing to me that Kris and family are Cheeseheads.

Because although if the Baltimore Ravens were to face the Packers in the Super Bowl, which I really thought they WOULD last year, I would have to root against them, I have to tell you...ANY team that beats the Steelers is A-OK by me. And besides, I have always liked the Packers, mainly because of Favre.

I've also had the pleasure of speaking with Kris on several occasions by phone, which I always enjoy. I don't get out of the house much, so phone calls are ALWAYS a welcome opportunity to blab away about all kinds of things. In the beginning, it was about all kinds of crazy paranoid stuff going on, but later on there was a...special subject of interest, but I'm not ready to talk about that just yet.

So...without further...what's the word...adieu? Here's Kris's post about the arrival of Erin's iPad.

'Months ago, at the suggestion of a friend, we entered Erin in a special needs iPad giveaway, hosted by a popular blog. To our surprise, she was chosen as one of the "winners". To make a long story short, none of the chosen winners received iPads. The blog host, a special needs parent himself, was, monetarily speaking, the only "winner".'

'Many in the special needs blogger community were left feeling disheartened by the whole experience. Now, on the one hand, it was just a promised iPad that was lost; we get over that quickly enough and move on. On the other hand, special needs families often feel a connection to one another because of the extra challenges and blessings that come with our extra-ordinary kids. We share that bond. When this whole ordeal happened, we felt we had lost trust in one of our own - someone from within the special needs community whom we had grown to trust. That had a longer lasting impact, and frankly, felt like a betrayal.'

'Enter Mission iPossible! Some lovely folks (whom I have now gotten to know in blogland) decided to do something positive in response to the original iPad-giveaway debacle. They put their heads and hearts together and began a mission to restore these iPads to the original winners, all kids with special needs who would greatly benefit from the amazing iPad. They have now completed their mission, in only a few short months!'

'Last week Erin received her iPad. And it is amazing. Honestly, it is hard to over-estimate the impact this will have on Erin's learning. The visuals, sounds and touch of the iPad, not to mention the many apps developed just for kids who learn differently, or who have extra challenges, are a huge, huge benefit for Erin.'

'After only one week, I can already see the difference in her attention span, fine motor control and development. Her motivation for speech (which has never been lacking) has also improved. I think articulation of speech will follow in the months to come. She becomes engaged and challenged by the "lessons" of the many apps, which to her are games that make her giggle.'

'Thank you, thank you, thank you! What more can we say. The Mission iPossible team, and of course the generous donors who made it possible, have restored not only iPads, but also the dignity that was lost in our community.'

You can head directly to Kris's website to see a pretty nifty video of Erin, and more photos, though I will load all the photos I pulled off her blog into the Facebook folder when I update over there. I can't figure out how to transfer the video here though. And why not contact her and ask? BECAUSE. You ought to be going over there and checking it out. Important to spread the web of community, especially now as we wrap up the final stages of Mission One.

Because when we start to lay some of the bricks into the foundation of Mission Two, and what will become something that for the time being let's just call 'Side-Missions', my hope is that Community plays an even larger, more expansive role in all of this. ;)

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iSam N.

2011-10-11T21:10:00.007-04:00

Ah...how I often change things up. I'm the Tim Lincecum of blogging.

I'll pause while you Google that.

You back?

OK.

I started off today with Luke S.'s iPost. But since Kelly, Luke's Mom, does not blog, I began to write. I must be in a writing mood, cause the thing became a volume, and started become something of a 'conclusion'.

Can't have that.

SO...I figured I would hold off, since I had so much to say in it, and go with the other two iPosts first, since both parents are are already bloggers themselves, and they said it all already!

Let's first go with Emma, who writes Living on the Spectrum about her son, Sam.

I started this post at 4 this morning after yet another sleepless night. For some reason, the magic cocktail that had Sam sleeping for the majority of the night stopped working a couple of days ago. But that is the subject of another post.

When I saw that Sam was number 19 on a list of 20 at the Mission: iPossible site, I really thought it would be a year or more before enough funds were raised to purchase his ipad. What has happened over the past few months has been amazing to watch.

I got an email from Ken, one of the people in charge of Mission: iPossible, earlier in the week letting me know that Sam's iPad was on the way. Since I am a teacher, I was home for the Jewish New Year and I was able to watch for the mail. Friday at 11, this box was on my front step. My mailman was a little lax with the signature required issue (although to be be fair he could probably hear the dog going nuts and me yelling at her so he knew I was home).

Is that the most neatly wrapped box you have ever seen?

I started to open it up while Sam was with one of his home therapists. I had to move from place to place as I opened because I knew Maya would go bananas when she realized what was inside. To my surprise, as I pulled apart the layers of bubble wrap, I found a bag of little toys and this little guy. That's a Dream Date Gonzo in case you can't tell (What are you trying to say, Ken?).

Then I pulled out this:

Seriously, the wrapping job was amazing. Neat tape, perfect corners, no wrinkles. I distracted Sam when therapy was over by leaving the shipping box out. This is Sam balancing it on the edge of the table. He is gearing up to watch it drop again and again and again and again...

I left the bubble wrap on the floor to see how long it would take the kids to discover it.

30 seconds.

While they popped bubbles I took a look at this. I didn't try to get Sam to unwrap it. He CAN rip paper but he doesn't understand the meaning of a present and won't attend to the task.

Over the course of the afternoon I set up the iPad with simple apps. One of Sam's home therapists has her own and so I already knew a few things that were worth getting. Maya ended up being the first to play with it because there was a crazy 3 kids yelling at me all at once moment and it gave her something to do for a while.

Sam didn't really "get" it when I showed him that we have our own iPad now. I felt a tiny twinge of jealousy each time I read an "iPost" detailing a kid's enthusiasm over the new device. For us this is going to be a way to try to focus his attention and, hopefully, communicate. I would LOVE it if Sam could develop some recreation skills but I think it is unlikely. When I sit him down, Sam can do simple shape puzzles and discrete trial programs. We are working up to investing in the big guns - Proloquo2go. What is amazing is that the kid who had to be taught to point with his pointer finger in early intervention understood the concept of the touch ]screen right away.

Is this an instant game changer for Sam? No. But I see a lot of possibilities (Ipossibilities? Too corny?) The iPad is an amazing teaching tool that will allow us to work where ever we are without lugging tons of supplies. Hopefully, once we get speech software and Sam is able to hear the iPad speak for him he will find that motivating and appreciate it even more.

I am trying not to drip my wet hair on the iPad.

Here is Sam doing a shape puzzle ( no pieces to throw or eat!!!):

Here he is doing a discrete trial program for color identification (bonus-no flashcards for Sam to fold and chew):

My deep heartfelt thanks to the people at Mission: iPossible and the community of donors without whom this gift would not have been possible.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iBecca

2011-10-10T09:00:00.083-04:00

For some people, Monday's might be a drag.

I guess I never really understood that. Back when I was a Full-Time employee somewhere, I had a very unique situation. I loved my job. LOVED it. So Monday was never something that I felt jammed up over. I never felt like I was dragging myself out of bed to go to work.

This was once I finally GOT my career going, mind you, which was much later than most people. Early 30's. Prior to that, all the jobs I had never involved Monday through Friday, so Monday morning feelings never were a factor, but there were jobs I really didn't like going to, jobs where I used up all my sick time and then some.

These days? Mondays bring about a dual edge. Lemme explain.

The weekends are ALWAYS harder than the weekdays, because we have Bennett at home all day and all night, with a lot less 'help' in the HHA department, and it is a lot of work as much as it is a lot of joy. It's a symbiotic relationship if there ever was one, though. If HE has a good weekend, WE have a good weekend.

So when Monday rolls around, there is typically a feeling of relief when the house clears out and peace descends (if Bennett had a particularly rough weekend, which he did this past one), but on the other hand, I am home...eeking out a living, barely, doing the things I do, not really employed, my career in limbo, and so Monday brings that home and reminds me that I am 44 years old and since we cannot move and my career is so specialized the road ahead is about an uphill climb as far as how I need to navigate changing careers as you can imagine.

Where am I going with this? Not sure really. I'm just down today, and it's Monday...and that explains why for the most part.

Whenever I feel down, this is usually what I turn to...the act of writing, the act of turning to an online community at large, my friends in the SN community and beyond who I can vent to and try to purge the negative feelings in order to clear my head and try to gain some clarity of focus and maybe figure out some way to manage things in my life a little better.

I get a lot from this place, many in this group, folks I have met through my other blog and certainly have gained a great deal of things from this entire experience, many of which I want to talk about after the rest of the iPosts are wrapped up, which will be this week.

Hard to believe that we are so near to the end of our journey, the conclusion to our first Mission. Wild.

I never actually wrote an official iPost for Becca Kennedy, but I do want to mention something about Becca's iPad and Keri, her Mom. The fact of the matter is, as a group, we never collected any donations on behalf of Becca to donate her an iPad, and we never sent her one.

As I mentioned on her spot on the Recipient Page, she had the excellent fortune early on of being selected to receive an iPad by Gary James, as part of his '50 iPads for 50 States' campaign from his Apps for Children with Special Needs organization. She wrote about the experience in her blog here at Life with Becca.

Since that occurred after I had already revised our list down to 'The Twenty', and all the formats were set and the random order and all that, I just manually added the $550.00 to the donation total to account for the iPad as if it existed, made the notation in the Excel File and changed the images and links on the tabs on the sidebar and the Recipients Page.

In every other way, I treated Keri like any of the other parents, as far as communication inclusion, etc., with the exception of trying to figure out exactly WHEN to drop Becca's iPost in. Wasn't sure when the right time was.

Felt like the right time now. Especially since I was thinking about community and how much it has played a role in my life not just right now, and not just in making this whole project work, but also in helping me get through the darkest days when my journey through all of this started, way back in early 2009.

Like I said above, Keri already blogged about it some time ago, but in addition to all the super stuff she said in her blog post about Gary, the man who spear-headed this donation, Keri had this to say in an e-mail to me.

'All of our iPad folks would really benefit from the stuff he posts, of apps that are out there for SN kids. Basically he spends time reviewing them. He also frequently has “app parties” where he gets the developers to give codes and if you are lucky you can snag codes for free apps (Not just freebie of apps that are usually 99c ). Other apps are sometimes greatly discounted during these “parties” (weekend long web events).'

'Also, not sure if you link to the blog Babies with iPads (they also have a Facebook page). On a near daily basis they link to free iPad apps – those are usually apps that are .99 cents or so that are free for a day. Good to go ahead and snag freebies when you can, as long as you have iTunes and you can later sync into your iPad.'

Apps are very important, as I am beginning to understand. Yes absolutely, you have to have the device to RUN the applications, but the applications are what is going to be teaching your child.

Both sites Keri mentioned are great resources, and at some point we will try to put some links up to more. I don't want to become App Central. That isn't our goal. Our goal is entirely different for each Mission. Besides, a lot of sites have the App Reviews covered and covered well.

As far as Becca's iPad goes...my only regret? Not being able to actually be involved in getting it for her. But that is was purely selfish on my part. Only because Keri was one of the 18-20 or so people who was so instrumental in helping me through those first few weeks and months way back in March of 2009 when Bennett first received the devastating diagnosis of Infantile Spasms.

Back when I used to visit the Infantile Spasms Message Board more regularly, she and I communicated much more regularly, along with a lot of other folks who frequent that space as well. I really need to get back over there again and try to re-connect. At LEAST to see how to link to some of the folks through Facebook. The only reason I even dropped off is just because message boards simply became far less prevalent, for everything.

I used to have one of my own. Still do actually, and I NEVER GO THERE. All my geek toy pals and I moved over to Facebook. I don't even know what is going on there anymore. I have been meaning to update it and change it up to a Private Forum for a few close friends of mine, but who has time?

But Keri, Sinead, Mike Bartenhagen and so many others from that board really threw me a lifeline, and it would have been SUPER cool to have been able to send Becca the iPad. But at the end of the day, it was great that she got it so fast. And that was all that matters really. Besides, it provided me an opportunity to tell Keri what she meant to me in those days and that's fine by me.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

PS...Just wanted to close it out with this image that I pilfered from Keri's Facebook page, because I loved it so!

iLiam

2011-10-07T07:50:00.002-04:00

OK...Skipping ahead a little because of a slight change of scenery and circumstance.

I am sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, while my wife Jen has surgery on her leg. A vein she has to have sucked out or something. Very icky.

But since I was slammed all week and want to still get some posts up and have time now, figured I would work on one now.

But, I do not have all the materials I normally do, so I have to go with what I have access to. Since Eric Olson over at Pressure Support just wrote a post, I can try to copy/paste it with my mobile device and see what happens.

Should be VERY interesting to see what this looks like on my laptop back home. I'll tighten it up visually then if I need to!

Here's Eric...

Last night I sat in front of my computer and tried to write a blog post that I should have written a few weeks ago. I wrote for about 3 hours and when it was all said and done I probably “wrote” about 3500 words. 500 words at a time, each and every one of them eventually falling victim to the delete key. It was all crap but I kept on trying. For reasons that will become apparent, last night seemed an especially special night to write this post but I just couldn’t get it right.

So instead of summarizing I’m going to use past posts and other sources to fill in the back story. That’s where I keep getting tripped up — the damn back story.

If you would like to know what I’m talking about, you should probably start here.

While you’re at it, please head here and poke around for a while. Don’t worry, I’ll still be here when you get back.

Ok. Got the gist?

Yep. Thanks to the wonderful people at Mission iPossible and all of the wonderful people who donated to Mission iPossible Liam is now the proud owner of an iPad! He was so excited to open it, though truth be told the excitement had more to do with the wrapping paper. Karin and I on the other hand are so beside ourselves with joy at this amazing gesture and the incredible potential it provides for Liam’s development, communication, and fun.

To explain the benefits that the iPad affords Liam in his development would take days, maybe weeks. I just don’t have the words to tell you how monumental this tool really is.

Babies and children learn from play, but how much play is possible if a kid can’t crawl, turn over, or even sit up? Aside from the global delay that Liam’s Miller Deiker Syndrome brings, his low muscle tone makes most toys, including the toys designed for development, near useless. Sure, we’ve got them all and they come out during playtime and therapy time but its the adults hands that affect change with those. The ipad on the other hand helps Liam learn the connection of cause and effect better than any button or switch ever could. The first app that we downloaded is called fireworks. Touch the screen — see and hear the fireworks. You should see Liam play!

Next was the piano app. You’ve all seen it on the commercials. Pretty straight forward and vanilla right? Not when we hear Liam tickling those digital ivories and singing along. That’s right SINGING ALONG!! Sinatra? Buble? Andrea Bocceli? Amateur hacks compared to my boy.

But it’s not all play and work though, sometimes it’s just a matter of watching cartoons on a device that can be placed anywhere and accommodate any of the positions that Liam may find himself in. His stander, his crib, his boppy.

Four months ago I didn’t think I was a part of any “special needs community”. To be honest, even though I had been writing this blog for over a year and I knew about one or two other blogs that talked about kids with special needs, I didn’t even know a special needs blogging community existed. Now I know I’m a part of something bigger. Now I know that when things aren’t going right, I’ve got people to talk to. People who get it. People who’ve been there.

Just a few weeks after the original ipad contest mess happened, Liam got sick and was admitted to the hospital. Ken from Blogzilly and Mission iPossible let everybody know that someone needed a pick me up. On a day when Karin, Liam and I needed them, well wishes and notes of concern came to us FROM ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. People I had never met sent word that they were thinking of us just because they knew it would help. That’s community, and it’s a part of this iPad.

After over a month in the hospital I was told that although the order of ipad shipments had been randomly selected and set since before the first device had shipped, a woman I had never met whose child was higher on the list wanted Liam to switch spots with her child and get his ipad first because of all that he had been through. That’s community and it’s a part of this ipad.

And that is why this post has been so hard to write. It’s about more than just an ipad. More than just a toy or a tool. It’s about something bigger than just my family. Bigger than just my son. It’s about being a part of a community of people who look out for each other. Whether they’ve met each other or not. People who saw an injustice and a promise broken but said here, I’ll help. I’ll fulfill that promise. I can’t thank them enough, for the ipad, for the community, and for the friendship.

****

Last night Steve Jobs, after battling pancreatic cancer for years, passed away. He was 56. His contributions to our society will be felt forever. Contributions not only to technology and computing but also to design and most importantly to communication. Although it’s been years since I’ve owned a macintosh computer that is a decision based more on finances than on preference. I learned to use computers on Macs and have spent most of my life surrounded by apple products. The ipad and it’s use with Liam obviously being the most meaningful.

Thank you Mr. Jobs for all that you brought to us in your time here.

OK...Got some stuff I would love to say, and will, but considering how hard this was to do on this dinky thing I will come back with a follow-up later. Need some more photos, Brutha! (I could not upload the one of yours in the middle on this, it was huge to link to and I can't use the 'compose' function on this thing...)

That and I am operating on ZERO hours of sleep. Doesn't help!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iThomas

2011-10-04T12:10:00.001-04:00

You kind of get the feeling that you are in for a good round of pics and videos when the preliminary message from a parent is a one-liner e-mail that tells you this.

'He's taking to it like a duck to water!'

And then lets you know to expect some material to follow in the next day or so. There's a HEAP of info in that nine word sentence even though realistically there almost shouldn't be. I dunno...maybe it is the Mid-Westerner in me using the metaphor to its fullest extent.

Or is that analogy?

See? There's that Mid-Westerner, unsure of the proper grammar and to be honest I don't actually know where to go to look that up online. Doesn't matter. Point is...let's get ON with it!

Karen, Thomas's mom, wrote something directly to everyone, the community at large, or at least I sort of read it as such. It felt that way, at least it did to me when I was reading the e-mail. So I want to just step back, paste it here, and let it stand alone. Especially because it says a lot about her son specifically, and I have...well let's just say I have an extra soft spot for anyone who has the IS Monster in their history. And many of 'The 20' do...

I'll step back in after that. Here's Karen.

'I do not know where to start...I don't have a blog, and with Thomas being almost 14 years old, it's hard to sum our story up in a nutshell...Nearly 13 years ago I watched Thomas have his first cluster of Infantile Spasms....and it kinda went like this:

Infantile Spasms, ACTH success! Speech disorder, sensory issues, OT, speech, special ed, doing great in school! 4th grade issues, Autism, 10 years of seizure freedom shattered by Epileptic spasms, seizures, meds, side effects, seizure freedom once again! Small steps, progress once again.

Thomas is, by far, I believe, the oldest recipient in this project. He is verbal, but struggles with handwriting and any tasks on paper. He is motivated, captivated, by technology. His teachers have long used the computer as a motivator and reward, and he did very well with computer based reading programs. When I saw the iPad for the first time, my mind filled with all the wonderful things I envisioned Thomas would be able to to with it.

The elation of being selected as a finalist in the original giveaway, and the utter disappointment and loss of faith at that outcome...Maureen and Darcy, thank you for revealing what we all did not want to believe, but needed to know. Thank you for the start to this crusade.

Faith restored by members of our very own community - so incredibly unbelievable.

Ken and Heather, thank you for lighting, picking up, and taking the torch. Thank you for all your hard work, finding donors, packing, shipping, posting, all the while dealing with your own families, work, issues.

Thank you, each and every donor. It is appreciated more than you all will ever know.

As I previously e-mailed to Ken, Thomas has taken to the iPad like a duck to water.

We have found a number of apps that are already helping increase his language skills and functional skills. Attached are 2 videos that demonstrate some of what he is using. Thomas showed his teacher how he used one of the apps, and she remarked "Well, I think we can mark 'Composes sentences with noun-verb agreement' mastered on his IEP" based on what he showed her.

He does not argue, or fuss, when asked to do math practice on the iPad. He very willingly will use the language apps. We are working on creating some visual schedules to help him learn how to do some basic chores-he is more willing to follow instructions on the iPad than he is to follow it on paper. He has even figured out how to search YouTube for videos of his favorite Wii games! And he has a deep love for Angry Birds. :-)

It's been about trust, and faith, and being brought together. It's about a community of people wanting to unlock what we all know is inside each of our kids, and about the wonderful people who are helping us do it.

Thank you so very much-

-Karen'

Well, Karen, I just wanted to say, after having read that again after pasting it here in this blog, that maybe, just maybe, for someone who does not HAVE a blog, you ought to consider creating one.

You definitely have a way with words.

Thank you for sharing them, and for sharing Thomas's story and experiences. It is very uplifting to see an older child on this list, it really is. I know for some people, including my own son, there may never be a possibility of achieving that level of sophistication of communication.

Sometimes that mere fact can be very disheartening for me. It can bring me down tremendously. Tire me me out. Sap my strength.

But that never means I, or anyone else, should ever give up hope. Should ever stop trying, should ever stop looking to bright, shining examples like your son and others for guidance and determination to keep moving forward and exploring all available options for our kids.

I hope you stay in touch, I really do. It would mean a lot.

That goes for all of ya. ;)

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iJoseph

2011-09-30T19:40:00.001-04:00

Who would have thought, that a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers family and a die-hard Baltimore Ravens family could look past this budding NFL rivalry, one of the best in the league right now, and instead actually become forever linked in a positive way because of a funky contest for an iPad gone wrong?

Stranger things have happened I guess.

Of course, it is easier for me now that the Ravens laid such a WHOOPIN' on the Steelers in Game One of this season, after the Steelers so effortlessly sent us home from the playoffs last year after the Ravens were leading 21-0 at halftime in the Divisional Round.

Ouch is correct. Though I will admit that when the score three weeks ago was 21-0, in favor of Baltimore, at halftime, against the Steelers, AGAIN, I almost threw up. But in the end it doesn't matter. They'll beat us, we'll beat them. Ebb and flow.

And besides, what's great is that I got a chance to make friends with some people I probably would NEVER have had a chance to otherwise. Which is cool all by itself.

When Joseph's iPad showed up, his parents were scrambling to get a lot of stuff ready for their Buddy Cruise, a journey for the non-profit organization that both of Joseph's parents are involved in I believe, so there wasn't a lot of time for chit-chat, even about the game. In fact Pamela, Joseph's Mom, felt the need (unnecessarily from where I sit) to apologize because she had to scramble and disappear for a while. But hey...stuff happens.

Anyway, she wrote a very nice blog on her Facebook page which I am re-printing here with her permission and colorizing in beautiful...Ravens purple. :)

'About 8 months ago I learned about a beautiful little girl Marissa who has Infantile Spasms (she references a Part One written a few months earlier which explains the original contest for an iPad). Ok...About 3 months ago I learned that there was no foundation and no IPads. There is however, a beautiful girl named Marissa, who does have Infantile Spasms and her father who started the iPad giveaway.'

'Whether the giveaway was a fraud from the start, or snowballed into something to big for the father to handle, I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that there were 40 children with special needs who were counting on the device to help them communicate, develop and grow. Something happened, a trust was broken, and I observed members of the special needs community who would count on each other for advice and guidance start to look for ulterior motives in every act of kindness or word of advice.'

'It was a sad thing to see happening. A few people who were involved in the original giveaway and others who knew of it decided that something had to be done to restore the faith of the special needs community and make good on a promise to the children who were assured a device. Of the 40 families, 20 decided to take the leap and continue with the newly formed Mission: iPossible.'

'Mid-July MiP started a campaign to solicit donations. They teamed up with a non-profit, and promised full disclosure every step of the way. Each child’s name was drawn randomly to determine fulfillment order. Joseph was number 16 of 20. Today, Joseph received his iPad! I have to thank from the bottom of my heart, Heather, Ken, and the others who were involved in setting up Mission iPossible, obtaining devices for our children and restoring trust.'

'Back to the full disclosure. I have to admit when I saw the box I started to tear up. It has been a journey of mixed emotions. Joseph now, finally has a device to help him communicate and to help him acquire much needed fine motor skills. I cant wait to see and share his progress. Heather and Ken, be prepared for stories & photos...now and for years to come.'

That's great, as is the promise that I have a 'Pen-Pal for Life'. Now...I take those kinds of promises VERY seriously, and especially from a person who follows a class organization like the Steelers, who I have deep respect for as a rival.

I expect each year to be able to chit-chat about the games AND to be able to talk about how great Joseph is doing!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iSuper-T

2011-09-29T14:35:00.001-04:00

The fact is, when it comes to how we approach our therapies with our kids, we can often trip over ourselves in our own zeal to try to hit that next thing to help them reach that next stage.

I've done it. Still do. ALL THE TIME.

Human nature. We get SO excited about some new discovery that we sometimes forget that as different as we might think our kids might be, they are also, at the core...kids! They can have your basic, average reaction just like anyone else.

When Super-T's iPad arrived Justine, his Mom, found herself in a similar predicament, which she happily shared.

'I'll be honest, I was hoping Super-T would be crazier about the iPad than he was at first. It is totally MY fault, though. In spite of knowing better I kept trying different apps with him the first couple of days and frustrated him until he was tired of it.'

'HOWEVER he does love a couple of apps (Signing Time and Soundtouch). I decided to lay off the iPad for a day or so. The next evening, after not having used the iPad all day, Super T said "iPad". He thought of it himself and wanted it and SAID it! I am thrilled!'

'He is really enjoying it now that mom is not all crazy making him try out millions of different apps. It is wonderful because I can be focused and use an educational app and then use his favorite apps as a reward. The first time I did this we were doing color matching on an app and he was just messing around and touching random things and laughing (he loves the touch screen), but when I told him that if he did it right he could do Signing Time, he IMMEDIATELY matched the colors correctly! Amazing!'

'I really think this is a game changer for my little boy. I am amazed by all of the apps that are fully customizable, which is exactly what Super-T needs. And of course it is so rewarding to find something that can make him laugh and giggle and stay engaged for more than a few minutes. I am really looking forward to learning to use it to help him communicate!'

In addition to photos, Justine also shot some video, which she loaded up to YouTube for us.

'Here are the videos I shot with lower resolution. Unfortunately the ones at a higher resolution weren't as cute. I have a half a dozen like the second one. It was a tough but fun job deciding which giggle was cutest. I ended up going with this one because of the line in the song that says "where friends can meet and find we're not so different after all."

'The first video (which actually was shot second) is great because not only does Tim say "thank you" and "iPad" with prompting for each word (thankyou is one word in our house LOL), he then (after a fake smile because he thought I was taking his picture, not videoing) says "Thank you iPad." A whole phrase!!! Put together without me prompting each word!'

Those words came in first, after the first couple of days. In a way I am almost glad there was a time lag in getting to these iPosts because there was a follow-up, and I can include it here.

'I think we have had our big iPad breakthrough today (after I initially made Super-T not like it by making him try so many apps the first day). Today, not only did we get in some OT via Dexteria (at which he has improved dramatically since starting it just a few days ago) and some color matching, and a bit of word recognition, we found an app other than Signing Time that made him laugh hysterically and totally held his attention.'

'Seriously HYSTERICALLY laughing while interacting with the screen to fling pictures of family members around. The app is called AlphaBaby Free (it also does colors, shapes, ABC's, etc.) I almost immediately spent the $.99 to upgrade to the full version so I could put on more pictures...so worth it! He wasn't just watching he was controlling it! I actually had to take the iPad away finally and say that that was enough for a while (want to keep it fresh and not burn him out). Yippee!!!'

'These apps that Super-T loves so much are great rewards for doing the things that I want him to do on the iPad (like Dexteria, or color matching or sight words or, in the future, a communication app). I can't say enough how this is changing things for him, and we are just at the tip of the iceberg here.'

That is 3,000% awesome, don'tcha think?

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iKenyon

2011-09-28T16:15:00.010-04:00

It was SURREAL today watching the last two iPads go from my hands into the hands of Melissa, the usual Postal Carrier who has the route in our neighborhood.

I didn't know whether I should be happy or sad, or a combination of both. To be honest, I actually did not have the time to experience any emotions at all, I got robbed! I was right smack in the middle of a telephone call when Melissa came to the door and she was a little later than usual, so it took me by complete surprise. So there were no tears, no toothy grins...just a transfer. The surreal nature of it comes to me only when I reflect on the experience, when I play it back in my head, which I have been doing all afternoon, for some strange reason.

On the one hand, it is the beginning of the end of something. On the other, it is ONLY the beginning.

Um...what?

Don't mind me, the afternoon's dose of pain medication is just starting to kick in. Yeah...I am STILL on that stuff. Can you believe it? 4.5 weeks post surgery. And it still feels like there are a couple of burrs stuck to my uvula.

NICE.

But thankfully you don't have to listen to me TALK about kids receiving their iPads, you only have to READ about kids receiving their iPads. And the iPads they are a'flowin'.

Kenyon's mother, Jen, took some photos of her son Kenyon and had a few things to share about the experience.

'Sorry for the delay, and for the quality of these phone pics! Kenyon is really enjoying his iPad!'

'One of the biggest reasons for wanting an iPad for Kenyon was that it would be a bridge for him to the typical world of boys his age. He knows that boys like technology toys - and he is no different in that regard.'

'We have tried almost every handheld and game console out there - and it either moves too fast or requires complex hand coordination. Anyway, long story short - the iPad's large touch screen works for him! The iPad has apps on his level. Books that will read to him. Fun learning - in a typical way that he can manage and operate with very little assistance.'

'He's been saying over and over, "My very own iPad! Not the boys iPad!" meaning, he's got something special that his brothers don't!! :) Thanks to you, Mission iPossible, and the special needs community for building this bridge, giving him something of his own, that he can work on his own. He's in love!'

I think we are, too!

Hey Jen, sorry about the Bush thing, I know y'all are living in Texas and everything. I lived there for 4+ years myself and my good buddy Richard still resides there. I know...'Don't mess with Texas!' Hey I liked the man quite a bit, he's just always an easy target and he always comes up on the Google Image searches on 'confused'. ;)

THERE'S the toothy grin...

Send more pics in when you can, that goes for ALL the parents out there!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Brief Change in Plan

2011-09-27T11:30:00.002-04:00

Was going to kick off the iPosts today, but instead, I wanted to postpone that in light of the fact that, if you glance over to the number at your right above the little Thermometer widget, the $11,000.00 goal HAS BEEN ACHIEVED.

That means that in 76 days, from the time this site went live on July 12, this community came together to raise money for 20 kids to get their iPads.

That's amazing, when you think about it.

Stunning.

Miraculous.

I posted on our Facebook page last night and Heather posted about it on hers, and I know that she and I are both in agreement on this statement...no need and no desire to say anything about how amazing WE are. In fact, we prefer you did not. The fact is...YOU are amazing. The COMMUNITY is amazing. The WORK is amazing. The KIDS are amazing.

You should always remember that.

In fact, it is almost a tragedy that I have to address something so pedestrian in light of something so awesome, but I got word yesterday that someone was very uncomfortable with the idea that I used the phrase 'an anonymous helper' yesterday in my post. This person went so far as to compare me to a certain individual who ran a contest on a different website. Now, I could care less about the person who bitched about it, but if there is anyone else out there who might have issue with my choice of 'phrasology', let me be absolutely clear and totally frank.

Occassionally, there are going to be other people involved behind the scenes of this venture. And sometimes, those people are going to request to remain anonymous. Just as I would respect any of the Parent's requests not to give out their information, just as I respect the right of any donor who chooses NOT to be placed on the Supporters page, I also respect the right of any volunteer who wishes not to be called out by name.

One such person, who stepped in during my recovery from my tonsillectomy and helped me out in a HUGE way, asked me if I would keep the name private. And so I did. I don't apologize for that, nor will I. If that creeps you out or makes you think that this feels like the old MB thing? Well, then this is clearly not the place for you.

It was also suggested that I do this for praise and recognition. Particularly that my statement yesterday regarding how the money breaks down (and that some costs were eaten by us) was a plea of some kind to let you know...*sniff*...that money was coming out of my own pocket. The reason the money thing was even in there was because one of the parents asked me to address the monetary discrepancy since the numbers did not add up, so I wanted to offer disclosure on it.

Technically it BELONGS in the FAQ, but I admitted even in yesterday's post that I have been FAQ-slack and need to get that thing done. I copped to it being my bad, but I will get to it. But rather than keep the parent waiting on an answer, I felt it more important to give the parent an answer and do as requested...answer it publicly.

I was not hoping to have anyone break out the world's tiniest violin. I was just trying to explain the breakdown of costs. I even had a screen shot of our spreadsheet, but then I thought...well, that's probably TOO much disclosure.

I don't do this for accolades or awards. I do this because I have a 4-year old son who had a brain tumor, brain surgery, unexplained malformations in his brain tissue, catastrophic epilepsy, an autism spectrum disorder and who can't communicate and these Missions mean something to me very deeply and very personally. To be involved in something that helps to bring communication to kids who have a communication related disability is enriching to every aspect of my being.

And for other reasons too. Granted, being involved in an online community is a part of who I am. I have been involved in some kind for as long as I can remember. It used to be toys and collectibles. Now it is Special Needs families. It is just something that I do.

When I started my own business after leaving Palisades Toys, the last major toy company I worked for, the main goal of the new company, Creatus Maximus, was to get other people's ideas made into product, because I thought it sucked that so many people out there had so many great ideas and no means to get their stuff produced. It was all community-driven.

At Palisades itself, when Message Boards were the thing, and this was LONG before the social media craze, long before Facebook, I spent many hours on that site getting involved in that community, getting feedback from people who lived and breathed the licenses that we were making products of.

They would get involved in the design process, and in the production process. And in return I would get them a bunch of free toys and get their names on the back of the package. Would have paid them had our budgets been higher, but they were cool with what we worked out.

In fact, some of those people and I are still friends today, and read THIS site, if you can imagine that. Some of those people donated to this cause. They know me very, very well. Many of them I have had the pleasure of meeting in the 'real world'. They know what kinds of things motivate me.

Glory? Nope. Patton said it best...at least the film version did...all glory is fleeting.

But let's remember the best part of why this post is NOT an iPost today.

Mission One, at least the financial aspect of it, is A-FREAKIN-COMPLISHED! And, the two iPads are sitting right here. So they will be shipping today or tomorrow. I will do my best to get them out today, but I was not expecting the last $740 to drop in last night, so I have to scramble to get them packed up and out the door. I will do my very best to get them out though.

I can promise you that.

That doesn't mean the end though. We still have many an iPost to write, and lots of things to think about as far as how to set up our plans for what will be our Mission Two. And some other changes that will be taking place, all of which will be gone over in due time.

But for now?

If you feel compelled to do any back-patting? You go right on and pat...on each other. (KEEP IT CLEAN, PEOPLE!) All we did was facilitate this process. All we did was become a conduit for the generosity of a community that I could not be more proud to be a part of.

Enjoy the moment, because this is YOUR success.

You've earned it.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!!!!

Getting Ready for a Week of iPosts

2011-09-26T13:00:00.026-04:00

Despite the slower roll-out of actual 'iPosts', do you realize that we are only 2 iPads away from completion of this first Mission? That's unreal, isn't it? And it isn't really 2 FULL iPads. It's $740.00 to put an exact number on it.

That's DAMN close to the end.

Ever wonder why 20 iPads at $499.00 each equals $11,000.00 and not $10,000.00? Well, you have to factor in tax, which is around 6.75%, and also a merchant service fee on most donations, which is 5%, and shipping costs, and materials for shipment. The truth is, when it comes right down to it, the ACTUAL cost per iPad is more like $577.48, but rather than put some wacky number in the Goal Total we just figured as a unit we'd round up to $550.00 and any overages we'd eat the costs. And so we do.

It's not THAT bad of a hit...in the end the overall cost is going to be 5-6 hundy in actual dollars, most of that in the shipping and materials area. My opinion? Small price to pay for what we ALL gain from this.

Yeah, you can blame me for not having an answer on that one somewhere on this website. That should and will go in the FAQ, just hasn't yet. I used to feel guilty about that. I don't anymore.

It will go up when I can get it up. As will many things when it comes to this site. I don't mean for that to sound callous or cold, because I do not feel that way about this at all. In fact, this entire experience has changed me in ways that are all for the better. I intend to try to explore charity work as a career now, in my now mid-40's, totally changing my path from toy designer and artist to something completely different. If I can.

Not sure HOW I will do it. I only know that I want to. I only know that for the first time since I started working as a toy designer and felt 100% fulfilled in my career I haven't for, oh, around 7 years now. This...this gives me that feeling again.

It's THAT important to me.

But these little things, like that FAQ, I can't sweat right now, ONLY because there have been other things to do, like getting iPads coordinated and purchased (with help from a new anonymous helper), take care of myself and my health and my family, and frankly...put food on our own table. Since this is not a full-time job for any of us (YET!) we all still have to try to manage our roles in this part-time, and so while I was a bit obsessive about it initially, I have had to sort of come to terms with allowing some breathing room and letting the whole process evolve.

Learned a TON though, as I have watched these kids receive their iPads. A TON. And what joy it brings me every single time pictures or video comes in.

I love it. And I love talking about it to people. I love the way their faces light up and smile when I tell them about YOUR children and what they have done, about OUR community and what they have achieved.

It's great. It's special.

Over a week ago a batch of FIVE iPads all got shipped at the same time, for Kenyon, Super-T, Liam, Joseph and Thomas.

You might be saying hey WHOA...you skipped over Luke S.

Well, not exactly. Luke's Mom, Kelly, VOLUNTEERED to be skipped over. Not sure how much you know about the Olson family, but their son Liam was in the hospital, then out, then in, then out. Then Hurricane Irene shows up during the last hospital visit. So Kelly said to let Liam take her spot and they would wait. As it turned out, the wait was not long. Luke S.'s iPad actually shipped last Friday.

So that was actually SIX iPads shipped in around a week's time.

That's a lot of blogs I need to catch up on, after just having got caught up on the last batch (except for Becca's, which is kind of a 'unique' scenario). I'll get those going as of tomorrow, which is actually easy enough because I have three of them done already, just waiting for pics and text from a few of the parents.

So that's where we are.

$740.00

That's our goal.

And to think. It was $11,000.00 on July 12th. That was only 76 DAYS AGO.

I've never, not once during this whole process, asked you to donate. Not going to start doing it now.

I have gone after sources on the side and done my own fund-raising, as have we all, as have MANY in this community. I would ask that you all continue to do so, continue to seek out sources of revenue so that we can close out this first Mission, get Sam N. and Erin their iPads, and get Mission One wrapped up so that we can start preparations for a second Mission.

I have some interesting thoughts on what that might actually involve.

There will be many changes in how we manage it, based mainly on the things learned along the way in how the process went during this first one, but I only see bright things for the future of any child who has access to devices like these, so let's see what we can do to get the last two kids taken care of!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iJake

2011-09-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

You ever have one of those days where everything just goes wrong?

I'm having one of those months.

Except for this place, and this Mission. It is probably the ONE thing that is keeping me going. Keeping me motivated. Keeping me sane.

It's also the one thing that is keeping me thinking about the positive things in life, and JUST at those moments when I really, really need it.

You know it is funny, this Mission involves breakthroughs in technology, and in the case of the iPad we sent to Jake, one of the delays in writing about the experience of his receipt of the iPad was a breakdown of a technology of a different kind, and that was the Walker family camera.

In fact, they haven't even kept up much with their own blog, Moving to a Zone Defense, ever since that device went down, though they did manage to snap some pics with their phone for me for the purposes of this write-up.

'I've attached a few photos that I've taken with my phone (not the best quality). If we can ever catch Jake on video, we'll be able to show his true excitement. He bounces on his toes and yells, "iPad! iPad! wan da iPad!" One morning as his Dad was working outside, Jake poked his head out the dog door and said, "iPad!" It's amazing how clear "iPad" is when most of his speech is slurred.'

'At first, he was only interested in videos, but now he's enjoying other apps, particularly instruments like guitar and piano. I even caught him playing Toca Boca Doctor. He also loves the special effects camera and holds his favorite toys over the iPad to see how they look on the screen.'

Deb, who has been the main person I have talked to from the Walker family, also sent me some nifty pics of Jake and his first day of school this year (which I peppered through this post as well). They are REALLY looking forward to the new year and what it might hold in store.

'Another wonderful turn of events happened last week when I spoke with his new teacher for this upcoming school year. For the first time, he will have someone who knows that technology is the way to reach him, is knowledgeable about technology, and bought an iPad this summer so that she could be ready for him. We'll be sending his amazing MiP iPad with him to school so that we can coordinate apps. School starts Tuesday, and we can't wait to see where the year takes Jake. This year is pivotal for him since it is his last in elementary school.'

That is...super cool. But then there is this...

'We cannot thank you enough for how you all have impacted our lives. And, I don't just mean the iPad but also bringing trust back to the community. When you have children with special needs, it's easy to feel alone and separated from other families. MiP reminds us that we're not alone, others live in and understand our world, and support is there when you look around.'

'We truly hope that we'll be able to meet you and your family in May when we're visiting. :)'

Remember when I said one of my regrets is that I don't get a chance to meet these families in person for delivery? Well, even though it will be well after the fact, I might have a chance to meet the Walkers some time next Spring, so that will be a very nice thing. They are supposed to attend a wedding somewhere nearby and while I don't know that I can get the whole family coordinated maybe I can still swing some kind of meet.

I do dig meeting the people in the Blogoverse in real life!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iJaxson

2011-09-14T18:15:00.005-04:00

The five iPads that started shipping out earlier in the week have started to arrive.

That's always nice to know. It's a good, warm feeling.

You need those, especially when you might be struggling. I know I have been of late, with Bennett. He's just not been himself lately. His behavior has been hard to understand. Some of his self-injurious stuff is back, stuff that we thought was gone. Not sure why.

A couple of weeks ago he had an emergency MRI, just to see if possibly his tumor was back, since there was odd swelling on the left side of his head. There was some thought that maybe that was the cause of the behavior changes and some of the learning regression he had been having.

As it turned out, the MRI was clean. Thank God, of course...and yet, you do pause as a parent and say 'OH...OK, so why, then?'

That is, unfortunately, a road that you walk when you are walking down the road of Multiple Disabilities, as many of our kids are. It's a winding road of unanswered questions or questions that might be answered with...more questions.

Very frustrating.

And it also can lead to making the receipt of something like an iPad a very different experience as well.

In Jaxson's case, every day is an adventure, a struggle, in all kinds of ways, and the iPad is something that you have to put into a certain perspective. I know that his Mom, Lacey, who writes Jaxson's Fight does. Her messages to me have always been very matter of fact, which is amazing to me in and of itself, as is her blog, considering the battles she, and her family, fight all the time.

In one of her notes, she summed it up better than I ever could.

'Sometimes its hard to concentrate on development with him, because we are just trying to keep him alive.'

If I have one regret in all of this...Mission, is that I do not get to actually deliver these devices in person, or meet these kids and these families in person. I think I could learn a lot about life, about people.

Certainly in Lacey's case, about perspective, humor, warmth and courage, all of which she has in great abundance. Because with a statement like the one I just gave you, and multiple hospital visits, you would think that there would be a bleakness about her. But no. She, very much like many others I have encountered in this journey, like the Strong family, are instead beacons of light where you might expect to be surrounded by darkness.

Because right AFTER that, Lacey wrote, 'But man his spirit is amazing, and he makes people cry when they meet him in person. Just ask Heather. :)' Which of course I did, and the stuff Heather told me about the little guy and his family were amazing.

On a side note, I should point out, and I checked first and got the OK, that this iPad was given courtesy of a single donor. Joyce, mother of the Sarah from My Name is Sarah, has an ongoing friendship with Lacey and donated the iPad to Jaxson specifically this time around.

Glad that the we were able to help facilitate the gift in some small way, and glad that Jaxson is finally home from this latest round in the hospital. That, of course, is the best gift of all.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iAddison

2011-09-13T17:00:00.002-04:00

Writing again...I feel a little rusty.

You know how it is. You haven't been at something for a couple of weeks, been in a sort of 'recovery' or 'rehab' mode, but now it is time to get back into the thick of it. But you still kind of wonder, how is it going to be when you actually have to step up there and take your swing or throw the pass?

Oh sure, practices went fairly well, but now it's a game. Now it's for REAL.

People expect RESULTS.

Well, the fact is, the TRUTH is, it doesn't really matter what I write. My words are inconsequential.

What matters, in the end, is that no matter how long it might take me to put up a post or to recover from a surgical procedure, thanks to the generosity of the community, the donations kept coming, the process kept moving, and certainly the kids that have the iPads already...keep using them.

Kids like Addison, who got her iPad a couple of weeks ago. Addison's Mom Debbie, who writes Finding Normal, wrote a terrific post about the iPad's arrival already, and she also had this to say of its' arrival.

'The journey is just beginning, but for now...she's all giggles! Noah (6) played Addison's favorite iPhone app (babies laughing, cooing, etc) on the iPad and she could not stop smiling and laughing at them, probably because they are SO much bigger on iPad!'

'He also showed her some foods and animals on it, and she was quite interested. We need to work on gentle fingers and the fine motor it will take, and then of course figure out which communication app will be the best for her. Hoping our communication therapist will advise me on that during Monday's appointment!'

'Also has been great practice for Noah's left hand, which is still suffering from nerve damage from July's broken arm!'

'I'm attaching some pics and will send/post more as we take them. I can't wait to hear her voice on this amazing device!!! Thank you all again. You are changing so many lives, one mission at a time!'

Well said, and well said in your OWN blog. I hope that she's still continuing to make some progress. Keep us posted!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Updates and Support For One of Our Own

2011-09-11T13:45:00.001-04:00

Hi Everybody. Been a while.

Of course it was never my intention to be sidelined this long. One never expects that when the doctors say 'It will take you at least two weeks to recover from your Tonsillectomy.' that it will actually take you at least two weeks to recover from your Tonsillectomy.

But it did.

The fact is, I'm not DONE recovering from my Tonsillectomy. Which really stinks. Something weird is going on along the right side of my throat and it still hurts like...the DICKENS. Not sure what is up. A phone call will be placed tomorrow to my ENT to see if I can get seen tomorrow and have him take a peek down there and tell me the 'what 'fer'.

BUT...I gotta do my level best to get these wrapped up and ready to ship in the meantime. Think I can do that?

I dunno...been slipping lately...

The trick will be not messing up the addresses while being woozy on pain medication. There is a VERY interesting story behind these five iPads that will be going out, but I'll get to that this coming week, along with catching up on the iPosts for Jaxson and Addison and Jake, all SERIOUSLY overdue, and I am very sorry to each of those families for the delay on that.

Speaking of recovering from stuff, Sam, one of the earlier Recipients, is recovering from a broken femur in the hospital. His Mom, cerealgirl007, who you can find over at her blog Cereal World, could probably use some encouragement, as she is stuck 24-7 all by herself over 14 hours away from her home at the Children's Hospital, and poor Sam is in traction for at LEAST three weeks and has a LONG road of recovery ahead of him.

We gotta show some support, that has to be BRUTAL!!!

Anyway, I hope you are all having a fairly good day, remembering the events that happened ten years ago in your own way. I have a ton of things I wanted to say about it but decided it was just too much. I think I want to leave it alone for now.

Let's focus on Sam and the iPads for now and getting everything caught up and back on track, and anything else can always be left for other places in the Blogoverse!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iRomy

2011-08-29T11:00:00.011-04:00

Hope everybody had a good weekend. Although I know some of our East Coast neighbors had to dodge Mother Nature, hopefully everyone is safe and secure out there and not dealing with too many obstacles in their path.

Speaking of obstacles, I had my own to deal with last Friday morning, in the form of a Tonsillectomy, which is why you've seen a WEE bit of a lull in the 'iPosts', even though there are still a few pending to be written. Had a lot to do to get ready for it, and now there has been a lot in the way of recovery.

Wow...getting your tonsils removed hurts more than I thought. In fact, yesterday and today are probably the worst as far as pain and discomfort, and I expected that by today I would be skipping off to work merrily and without incident.

Such is NOT the case.

But you know what? It does tell me something. I find it very difficult to speak. The inside of my mouth is so swollen that I just don't talk, so I find communication difficult. But I know that, eventually, my communication will return. I also know that I can write if I want, I can gesture, I can draw a picture to get across what I want to communicate to someone. I can also type these kinds of posts for as long as I wish to remain at the computer, although I try not to do too much as I need to rest a lot.

Is there frustration? Absolutely. But at least I know there is a temporary nature to this condition. Our kids don't always know this or even understand what is happening to them.

These lessons that find their way to me are...uncanny in their timing. As if they are almost meant to. They teach me in ways I could never learn by simply going through the motions. They teach me with a profundity I could not achieve otherwise.

This pain really IS a gain. In many ways.

And so with that, let's 'talk' about Romy's iPad2, which was delivered last week, by listening to what her mom, Justine, had to say about the experience.

'We received the iPad today! I let Romy open it because she loves to open gifts and I let her help me choose a few apps as well. Her face just lit up when I presented it to her! She even let out a few squeals of delight. In no time at all she was singing and dancing to music, playing instruments, and swiping through ebooks as well as repeating a lot of the words that she was hearing.

It is already holding her attention much longer than any other therapy tool we've tried. Simply put, she was happy! Very, very, very happy. Thank you guys so much for putting such a huge smile on her face.

I'm going to be downloading a few communication apps tonight and we can't wait to try them out first thing in the morning. I know for sure this will have a profound affect on her development. Thank you for gifting us with such an immeasurable gift! It is even more wonderful because it came from such an honest and loving place. It makes me very proud to be a small part of the special needs community.'

I love this community. I really do. What an amazing force.

Each person I encounter is more amazing than the next, and I consider myself a better human being because of this entire experience. And I don't mean just the experience of this iPad2 restoration project, though it is a very important thing, don't get me wrong.

I mean the entire experience of BEING a Special Needs Parent as a whole. I used to sit around wishing things were different, wishing that life hadn't been so cruel to me or my son. Now I reflect on how much I have grown as an individual and how many other uncanny people I have the honor of meeting because of the circumstances that have shaped my life.

OH! And this time...I did NOT forget the link to the video that Justine sent in along with her e-mail. So there won't be any need for a follow-up. Enjoy!

Is that not the cutest EVER!?!? (Although it is pretty easy to say that about every new movie that comes in, admittedly!)

Thanks for sharing the photos and the experience, and I'll get another of the posts up in the next couple of days, just as soon as I am able.

Many thanks also to Joyce, over at My Name is Sarah, for her funding drive over the weekend that resulted thus far in raising money for at least one more iPad2, covering enough for Kenyon's device, and we are inches away from enough for Super-T's!

Now THAT is an awesome way to promote some healing! Thanks Joyce!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iSofia

2011-08-24T14:50:00.003-04:00

Were you aware that we, as a species, were probably communicating with one another since, oh, maybe around 2.5 million years ago?

Of course, opinion on that varies wildly depending on what you actually believe as far as our Earthly origins, and I don't want to necessarily try to convince anyone what you should or should not believe, obviously, but just consider this, for a moment.

Some scientists believe that it is theoretically possible that Homo Habilis, and this would be the VERY first hint of the species of Man, and only if you are a person who believed in an Evolution of the Species, were communicating using primitive language-like systems (proto-language), that long ago. Wild, huh?

But let's say you don't want to take it to that extreme, and you want to go back to say...Homo Sapien, people that are just hairier versions of you and me. Well, maybe just me. That would place human communication at around 100,000 years.

That's still a long time.

And yet, did you know that a formal 'communication model' was never really laid out until around 1948? I didn't, not until all of this happened. Not until I started researching more about communication as a sort of 'hobby', you might say.

That's a lot of what these iPad2 Mission's help to fuel, on a personal level.

When these photos fill the Inbox, it makes me want to hit the Internet, they rev my engine to read more about speech and language, learn more about the difference between the two, study the models, order more books from Amazon and watch these children open doors that were once closed, even if it is only a little at a time or by leaps and bounds.

This past weekend, we got photos in from Sofia's family (as well as four others), along with some great messages. I, in turn, spent a lot of time enjoying photos, thinking about ways to possibly grow this project beyond Mission One, and burning a hole in Wikipedia.

From Megan, Sofia's Mom:

'The kids are at their grandparent's house this weekend while we are packing to move, but we promise to get lots of photo ops tomorrow when she opens her gift (and a more formal thank you for sure)! My hands are shaking as I type this and I'm crying. I guess good things DO come to those who wait!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!'

And then, from Dez, the Dad. (Note: I am using a deeper 'inner voice' as I type this. Hee hee.)

'As you can see, Sofia (and her older brother!) are already enjoying their new iPad2! Although we have been actively watching the previous blogs about the other very fortunate children who have received their iPad2 and cheering them on, it was incredibly surreal when the postman delivered Sofia's to us on Saturday. After waiting for so long, and being so disappointed, we couldn't believe that the day had actually come when we would see her open up her very own iPad! Sofia absolutely loves it. She is especially enjoying playing music and listening to animal sounds, so far, but we know that the possibilities will be endless and we cannot wait to see her thrive with this wonderful therapeutic tool!

When our son was born, we learned what it was like to love another human being with such ferocity that we would do anything for him, no matter what. Then Sofia came along. With all of her challenges and the difficulties that she faces, there is an urgency to that love that is hard to describe. Like so many other parents of special needs children, we feel that it is our responsibility to give her the best start that we can and there is nothing that we wouldn't do to provide her with every single possibility and advantage to help her thrive. This iPad2 is one of those advantages.

Thank you so much for taking a disheartening situation and turning it into a wonderful experience for our family, as well as the families of so many other special needs children. Words cannot tell you how grateful we are that this day has finally come!'

Great photos, and great to hear about such an awesome response to the iPad2 for Sophia!

I know that their family is in the process of moving, but hopefully once they get settled in they can get back in touch with some more pics and update us on any new applications they might have worked with.

Any of the other families as well...I would LOVE to post about any of your experiences with applications, breakthroughs, struggles and experiences you've been having with the technology since you have received the iPad2, since it will help to learn more about what might be applicable in some of our situations.

And in the meantime, since I can't build a Time Machine and go back to school and get a different degree, I spend some of my time trying to get as much education as I can on subjects about communication and language as I try to understand why my son has such a problem with his. Came across this today and thought I would share.

It's VERY basic, but I decided to take the advice of my good friend Mark, who suggested I approach my understanding of Bennett from a fresh perspective, and attack some of my questions from an angle of learning more about pure communication. Then see if some of the therapy questions I have fall into place later. I decided to take that approach for a while, but everyone's mileage may vary.

It is a fascinating little romp though...enjoy!

A Communication Tutorial

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iDummy

2011-08-23T16:40:00.001-04:00

D'oh!

When I put up the iMarissa post on Sunday, I completely spaced out and forgot to link up to the video that Shannon sent me in her e-mail about the experience.

My total bad. I got so distracted by the blog post I stumbled on that Shannon wrote that I didn't go to her e-mail to pull 'parent quotes' like I usually do when I start writing the iPosts. So I was doing a little filing of the MiP Inbox I keep today, getting prepped to write another iPost this afternoon and I noticed her video link.

Well, I'm nothing if not willing to cop to a mistake! So here ya go!

Sorry Shannon! I would never intentionally dis-include movies!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
Um...nope, this one is all on me.

iMarissa

2011-08-21T18:36:00.002-04:00

Sequence. Order. Format.

You'd be surprised to know that I'm actually extremely cool with complete deviation from those kinds of things. For example, you may notice that there is a check mark next to Becca's name on her button, but no blog about that iPad yet.

I noted the reasons regarding her private donation in the Recipients page, but that blog I will get to because there is a personal angle I want to talk about and it relates to my relationship with Becca's Mom, Kerri, from WAY back in the beginning of my son's experiences with Infantile Spasms.

Also, Jaxson has received his iPad, but there isn't a a blog because I have a few things I want to say about that iPad that go beyond just the device and the family and the photos. And as for Jake, I haven't received their photos yet, but I will, and I am not about applying the pressure on any of the parents...the photos come when they come. I want the parents and the families to have as much time to enjoy what they are experiencing, we'll get the 'iPosts' up when we get them up.

And I certainly LOVE it when parents are already Bloggers, because it means that they will have LOTS to say about the experience, making my job SO much easier by the parents writing so much material, especially if they beat me to the punch. And with what I have been experiencing lately, the less time I spend on the computer typing the better off my neck and arms are! :)

Shannon, who writes a blog called Chaotic & Comfortable, has a daughter named Marissa. To those of you perhaps visiting this space for the first time, this is not the Marissa who is mentioned in any of the blogs about the original iPad 2 contest, that is a different person.

Her family received the iPad2 this weekend, and she posted about it over there. I'm just going to reprint that post here because I love being able to share the words of the parents directly. They are much more profound than mine.

'All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don't discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others.'

~Danny Thomas

Many months back, I made an announcement here that Marissa was named as one of 40 recipients of an iPad through a 'contest' hosted by another blog. Without drudging up all of the ugliness that has ensued over the past several months surrounding this 'contest', I'll just say that the promised iPad was never received. I have no idea the real circumstances and although I have my own personal feelings and suspicions on the subject, I'll keep them to myself because I am no more qualified to act as judge and jury than anyone else.

Anyway, back to the purpose of this post. Some other contest 'winners' decided to take it upon themselves to right some wrongs and single-handedly restore the faith of the special needs community as a whole and created Mission iPossible. This group of folks is truly amazing and took on this task with nothing to gain for themselves. They had no idea how they were going to do it or how long it would take, but decided that their mission was to get an iPad into the hands of every kid who was promised one and whose family still wanted to proceed. Selfless - yes! Compassionate - yes! Crazy - totally! Ken, Heather, Maureen and Darcy have given birth to something big and I don't see it ending with these 20 iPads. Recently, they have also partnered with The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, another incredible organization dedicated to improving the lives of others.

Honestly, I didn't expect to receive an iPad for Marissa, at least not for a very long time. Not because I didn't trust Ken and crew. I just couldn't imagine four people getting together on a whim and making this happen. Heck, I know how hard it is to raise money. I know how hard it is to try and convince people that what you're doing is worthwhile and important. It's nearly impossible. Truthfully, being a small part of this mission (as a recipient), watching iPads land in the hands of deserving children has meant so much more than getting something. It has given me a renewed faith in humanity. It has reminded me that goodness still exists in the world. TRUE goodness - you know, people who not only talk the talk, but actually walk the walk! Those people are hard to find nowadays. I have 'met' some truly amazing new friends through this experience.

Well, this week, it was Marissa's turn! I've pretty much been speechless since I got the email from Ken that funds were secured and Marissa's iPad was due to be purchased. We all know speechless is something that I'm usually not. It's "just" a computer, right? To us, it's a door opened for ALL of our kids. When I think of what this piece of technology might be able to provide for Marissa, Esen, Kamila, B & H with all of their unique needs; it brings tears to my eyes. This is not something we would ever have been able to justify spending money on so it is truly an incredible gift! I will admit, I'm a wee bit frightened of it - after all, we still live in the land of the free flip phones and yes, there is still a walkman hanging around our house. No, we don't have an iPod, MP3, XBox, or any other type of gadget; heck we just finally bought a laptop less than a year ago! But, we're eager learners and I'm pumped to find an 'app' that might just do the laundry for me!

So, on to the million dollar question - how do you properly thank someone who has changed the lives of your children for the better? I don't have the answer yet, but knowing the Mission iPossible team, I think, for now anyway, this will suffice just fine:

Sure does! What a bright, shiny smile she has. It is so infectious, I showed the photos to Bennett, who always reacts to photos of other children very well, and who giggled and smiled while looking at the pictures. He loved them.

For me, during this weekend where he has just not been his usual jovial self and almost more than I could handle, making me have that much more fear than I would like over what could be happening inside his head that could be causing this level of behavioral shift, it was an incredible lift, almost a divine gift, not just from you but from all the parents who have sent photos. They are nourishing to my soul like you would not believe, and I thank you very much for them, very much indeed.

They are like treasure. Treasure whose value is unable to be measured.

Keep 'em coming.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iLevi

2011-08-17T13:00:00.001-04:00

One of the most difficult things in writing these 'iPosts' is not what you might think.

Most people think I find it difficult to think of things to write about, or have trouble coming up with an 'angle', a way of approaching each separate 'iPost' uniquely and differently, in order to make each one of them special. Frankly, that part is easy.

Each CHILD is special. Each CHILD is unique. I don't have to try in the least bit to figure out anything when it comes to making an attempt at presenting them. They present themselves just fine, thank you very much. They are so beautiful, so perfect, in every way.

No, what is difficult for me is that I wish I could be there for these presentations. More than you can ever really know. And it is purely selfish of me, I realize that, but there is such a power in seeing these images when they arrive, it is SO real and SO tangible, that to actually be fortunate enough to be there and watch these children as they learn and explore new and exciting worlds would really be something.

Of course, the WAY we present the iPad2 devices would have to change. It never occurred to me, until it was recently brought up by one of the families about some applications, not in a snarky way but just as a matter of fact, that these arrive to the family all wrapped up. But does that really make a lot of sense, when you think about it?

If it is wrapped, and you hand it to the child, it is a box that has an iPad2 in it, but NOTHING ELSE!

OOPS!

Hadn't really thought about that before! It has to be configured, with applications installed, and all that junk. So wrapping it might not be such a nifty idea after all!

BUT...since we started out by wrapping on this Mission One, I think we should continue to the end by doing it, for consistency. When we start Mission Two, we will probably change this approach. But more on that in a bit. First let's hear from Angie, Levi's Mom...

'THANK YOU!!! I have watched in utter amazement as you all have taken what was once a disheartening situation and turned it into a opportunity to bless a group of children who often get overlooked in the world. My sweet Levi was DELIGHTED when he opened his gift! He loves playing on my iPhone, so the bigger screen is perfect for his fat little piggies!

He also was so enthralled with the App (Build a Train) that he actually sat still and FOCUSED for quite a long time!

This will not just be entertainment for Levi. The possibilities of what he can learn are endless and that not only benefits him, but our entire family! Just the thought of him being able to communicate his wants and needs fills me with excitement!!

We just brought home Levi's sister from Russia. She and Levi are both 4 (11 days apart) and both have Down Syndrome. She is also non-verbal. I am thrilled that she too will benefit from this give-away!!'

That is awesome, two for one! And clearly, Angie re-wrapped the iPad2 after opening and installing the Apps, which is cool, and I wanted to let any of the Parents know...please, do NOT worry about it! If you do, great. If not, don't sweat it. We aren't!

The kids are getting their iPad2s! Consider the wrapped item as our gift to YOUR family, and you don't need to take any photos of your child unwrapping a present or anything, this is not what matters to any of us, seriously.

What we care about are lots of shots of your child playing with and learning with the new device. THOSE shots we do love to see, and lots of them, so keep them coming! And remember, you don't have to stop with the first round of photos. We have a Facebook page, and in it there is a Photo Album that is dedicated to your child...and it is HUNGRY for photographs!

As are we all. :)

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iElizabeth

2011-08-15T14:50:00.001-04:00

I was wondering if this particular iPad2 was EVER going to get into Elizabeth's hands! :)

But the good news is, she has terrific grandparents, and she was staying out there for a couple of weeks, and it was just a matter of timing that kept this particular mission from reaching its final stage of conclusion.

But when it did...according to Cyndy, Elizabeth's Mom, and her Aunt Kathleen, who has also been majorly involved in a lot of the behind the scenes communications, there has just been an enormous amount of WOW. And that is exactly the kind of word that I most often hear from the loved ones of any of the kids that pick up one of these machines and start using them.

WOW.

That video was sent to me by her Mom, and I asked her if I was allowed to post it. Earlier she had sent me some shots she had to take with her phone, that you will see below, in low light that I went back into and sort of painted on with some filters and brushes and asked how she felt about them.

She was cool with the changes I made since it enhanced the imagery, and when she sent along this video and the OK on the photos, she said this about the video, and I agree...'I think that it provides a genuine impression of just how MUCH Elizabeth LOVES her iPad'.

Kathleen also sent me a couple of photos as well, and some notes, the photos she took are at the top and bottom of this post. I was very taken with what she said about what she observed in the opening weekend with Lizzy and her iPad.

'Her favorite game so far is Word Bingo and she is counting and writing letters and spelling words! My sister spent half the afternoon with her mouth hanging open in awe...Once she learns to read (which I hope is soon with the iPad), the sky will be the limit.

BTW, she has perfect pitch (we already knew that) and she memorized the ABC song this afternoon using the ABC Song App after just 2 listens all the way through.'

To me? That is astounding. Simply astounding.

But I think the best of the notes that I got from either of the sisters was the first, the one right after they let me know that Elizabeth got the iPad, the one that first captured the essence of the moment.

This is the one that I'll always go back to whenever I think about this particular iPad and this particular kiddo.

'Elizabeth came home from her grandparents tonight, by the time I had helped her out of the van, and brought in a load of groceries, she had found the re-gift wrapped iPad, unwrapped it and was sitting on the couch playing with it. :-) So much for the photo op of unwrapping. :-)

She is navigating through the apps, viewing pictures, building a snowman (cause it's 80 degrees here and she wanted build a snowman for her big sister).

I'm amazed... for a child who cannot read from a book, due to visual impairment, she can search and locate apps without any difficulty. And, although her fine motor issues make it difficult for her to write she is easily drawing letters and spelling small words with the iWrite words app.

Thank you for this, our lives are forever changed, words cannot express our gratitude.'

I think words expressed it just fine.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

How to Read the New Graphics

2011-08-11T17:30:00.001-04:00

Just so you know...those three boxes up there? Yeah those...they went out yesterday. To Levi, Jake and Jaxson. Pretty cool huh?

So while we wait for Elizabeth to get hers, and those to get to their destinations, and for some funds to move around, I thought I would post some info I have been meaning to about the little buttons that you saw pop up over the weekend on the right hand side of the page.

In the Blogoverse we call that a Sidebar, your honor. Here's what the images mean. I'll use the name Bennett for this illustration, just because it was the first name I thought of.

Donate
This shows a photo of the iPad2 and a DONATE icon, with the name of the child who will be receiving the iPad 2, and if you click the button you'll be taken to the GSF Donation page to hopefully keep the process of fund-raising moving right along. And since there hasn't been any in a day or so, I know we have some work to do ahead of us...

Funds Acquired
This shows a photo of a Victory newspaper headline and a DOLLAR SIGN icon, indicating that the funds needed for the iPad2 have successfully been acquired through donation. This does not necessarily mean the iPad2 is ready to ship. We still need to gather the funds from whatever sources we might need to grab them from. The Thermometer widget on the site shows overall progress of Donations received, not funds in our actual pocket. But the good news is that when this icon changes to this level it means that the goal of raising the money for this particular Recipient's iPad2 has been achieved!

Verified/Notified
This shows a photo of some college kids looking through microscopes and a VERIFIED icon, indicating that the funds have successfully been positioned, Parents have been notified and all their paperwork is in order, and the purchase of the iPad2 for this Recipient is now in motion. It is simply a matter of scheduling it, making the purchase and getting it ready for shipment.

Shipment
This shows a photo of a vintage Federal Express plane and pilot and a PLANE icon, indicating that the iPad2 has been shipped and the Parents have been notified of the particulars concerning its arrival. A Delivery Confirmation number has been sent to the Parents so that they can plan ahead, because these deliveries always require a signature and also so that they can check the progress of the package on the USPS.com website. Why use USPS instead of FedEx? I'll cover that in the FAQ, and that's coming very shortly.

Received
This shows a photo of a child opening up a mailbox and a RECEIVED icon, indicating that the Parent has notified us, or we have noted by checking the USPS website, that the iPad2 has arrived and been signed for. At this time we usually are waiting for the Parents to have some fun time with their kids and family, become familiar with the device and enjoy the moment. There is no rush. It takes some time to actually learn your way around one of these things!

Mission Accomplished!
This shows a photo of the Recipient with the iPad2 and a CHECK MARK icon, indicating that the iPad2 has been received and the Mission has been accomplished! The photo will be pulled from the set of photos provided by the Parent. If no photography is provided by the family in the interests of privacy, some substitute photograph will be created for the button.

And there you have it.

As you can see, most of the buttons have had the names changed to actual first names, with one exception. I've discussed it with the Parent and in the interest of privacy we've agreed on keeping the child's name as it is. It's a good call and I totally support the Parent's reasons, as I would anyone. The whole reason for Codenames in the beginning was because we wanted to offer some trust and security since we were fairly unknown quantities and the climate was very different, even a month ago.

Times have changed a lot, and we've proven a lot, and so that need is not as dire. BUT...that doesn't change an individual's rights, which we do respect, and that's that. :)

Hope that helps you all understand the graphics a little better, and here's to hoping some iPads arrive today or tomorrow!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Half-Full

2011-08-09T21:40:00.000-04:00

There was a time when I would very easily and very quickly categorize myself as a 'Glass Half-Empty'-Type Personality.

I don't believe that to be true anymore. In fact, I'm not even sure it is even possible these days to feel negatively about anything regarding this mission. It just feels too darn good.

Don't get me wrong, I still get bummed out about stuff. I worry about my son. Though I am less AFRAID than I used to be (more on that another time). But I get bummed. My wife was watching some old video tonight, and it stung to see Bennett saying 'Hi Dadda.' as clear as a bell at 17 months or so, just as happy as a clam, and he still can't say the two together in a sentence now.

He turns four in November.

Brain tumors? They kinda suck. And Infantile Spasms suck even more.

And that bums me out...so never fret, I didn't suddenly grow 17 additional inches in height, sprout a fantastically huge set of teeth and an enormous and manly yet subtly sexy chin, begin writing several self-help books and start planning a motivational speaking tour in a city near you.

Though I wish I did.

Cause isn't he just dreamy?

But you can't look at the fact that here, today, it is August 9th, we are 3 days away from what will be the One Month Anniversary of the official 'start date' of this website, and we weren't even accepting DONATIONS at that time, and because of the staggering generosity of so many people, we have gone over the top of the mountain as of this morning.

That's right. We are now over 50% of the way towards the completion of our Mission One goal.

That's right. Cat's know everything. Including how to celebrate.

We have four kids who have received iPads...Christopher, Luke, Sam and Elizabeth. There will be a bit of a delay in the Elizabeth post, because she still is not back from her grandparents, but her Mom has confirmed that the iPad2 has landed, is loaded, and is ready for launch into her daughter's hands this coming Friday.

Three more iPads have been purchased, and those three families have all been kept in the loop on the progress of their fund acquisition and purchasing.

Those three iPads were wrapped up today and are going out tomorrow to Levi, Jake and Jaxson. They actually WOULD have shipped today, but you can blame me for that. Carter, that is my older son, was inexplicably doubled over in pain all day. So it was a bit dicey all day long.

But they will go out tomorrow, but that isn't the end of the good news, because if you look at the Donation Total, and at the new graphic buttons, an iPad was given to Becca a week or so ago via private donation.

We also have the funds raised for ANOTHER two iPads, those for Sofia and Marissa, and we are inches away from enough for Addison's, and as soon as we get there we'll pick up those three.

It just floors me...how far this whole thing has come, in so short a time. And I believe our best efforts as a community are still yet to come. I'm so excited, this makes me want to pop open an ice cold Dos Equis and have a drink with The Most Interesting Man in the World.

And I don't even DRINK.

Stay thirsty my friends!

Oh and...PEACE!

Yeah...PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

PS...A Special HAPPY BIRTHDAY Shout-Out to Sarah, at My Name is Sarah, who turns 22 today. Happy Birthday, young lady!

iSam

2011-08-08T10:15:00.001-04:00

If you've ever had to live with a degenerative disc issue, or other kinds of chronic back pain, you know how much of a problem this can be.

It strikes without warning, like the Ninja, and never when you expect it. People always say to you 'Hey don't lift that, you'll hurt your back!' But you chuckle and know that you never hurt your back when you lift stuff, because you are READY for it. You get into the proper posture, you prepare yourself, you align our legs.

Back? Secure.

No, instead you throw out your discs when when you sneeze, or when you casually go to pick up a bar of soap in the shower, or when you round the corner of the downstairs hallway in JUST the wrong way.

Then ZING...that oh-too-familiar pain starts sizzling up your spinal column and into your arms and legs, and you know that you and it are going to need to make nice because the two of you will be playing cards, sipping drinks and doing all sort of intimate things together for at least a week. Maybe more.

So my pain had me up late last night, and I was still stressing very much over the iPad2 that we had sent out of the country, the one to cerealgirl007-Cereal World, the one that, according to FedEx, had not landed yet. We had sent two out, and one was accounted for, but this one? What was holding it up?

I went to my computer to check the FedEx tracking number again after midnight, but I checked my e-mail first. And when these photos started downloading, the pain melted away, as it always does during these...these amazing and wonderful moments. These moments that, every single time, make my eyes fill with tears of joy.

They are PRECIOUS, which is the exact word I used when I wrote to Sam's Mom to tell her I got the photos and how relieved I was that Sam's iPad2 had been received. I had earlier asked about using his first name, a request I have sent to all of the parents though not all have yet responded and one has (for personal and perfectly legitimate reasons) said no, and she said it was OK to change the Codename from cerealgirl007 - Cereal World to iSam.

She also had this to say about Sam and his first experiences with the iPad2, which had arrived already, even though FedEx had NOT updated their online number.

'He spent most of the day talking to Tom the cat, printing and drawing (Yay!) and making stories. I am absolutely astounded at how much effort he's put in to expressing himself - it seems to be just the tool we've needed..,. and I've only installed a few apps so far! Seeing how he's so much more attentive to his fine motor skills already, and is starting to take care to speak more clearly (yes, in just a few hours) I can't wait to see the changes that come as we start to use it more over time.'

Obviously the the artist side of me is thrilled to know about the drawing part, but what jumps out at me about what she wrote are two things...'in a matter of hours' and 'just the tool we've needed'. Both of these phrases I have heard, in some way or another, not just from the three parents who have written in, but from OTHER parents I have spoken to about their children using an iPad2 for communication and learning.

It's important to keep both of those things in mind as we move forward in this, because we'll be coming back to that again and again and again.

She thanked us obviously, and a lot, but I don't want to dwell on that by re-printing that, because I have to be honest with you, it is really not necessary. I'm not blowing smoke when I tell you that the expressions of gratitude are wonderful, and they are appreciated certainly, but those photos are like a glass of water to a person who has just stepped off the surface of the sun.

PRECIOUS. PERFECT. WONDERFUL.

Keep them coming. Even after this first experience, keep them coming. Check in. Be grateful by remembering that we are a community, after all, and this relationship does not have to end with this post. All of your experiences with applications you have tried and bought can be shared here, to the benefit of other parents who will follow in your footsteps, and as you well know, opening any Apple device isn't necessarily the easiest task in the world...especially since they don't include any instructions with it!

And remember...we do have a Facebook page that holds the photos of this event, and I would love to add photos of Sam, Luke, Christopher and all the other iKids to it. New photos, as they grow, as they learn, and any thoughts you want to share as well.

These pictures, these moments, these experiences...are nourishment for the soul.

We should all dine together often!

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

Updates

2011-08-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

Didn't mean to leave you hanging.

When we shipped out the iPads to the Recipients who are going by the Codenames of 'Scooby Snack' and 'Cereal World', we failed to factor in two very important things...a vacation with the grandparents for 'Scooby Snack', and the perils of Customs for the international shipment to 'Cereal World'.

The 'Scooby Snack' iPad was delivered a couple of days ago to the Mom, who downloaded some apps and re-wrapped it in anticipation for the arrival of her little one, but the International iPad of Mystery (Yeah, Baby!) is still in transit according to the FedEx tracking system, so we're all keeping our collective eyes on that and hoping it shows up very soon.

When it absolutely, positively my...AHEM...

So each day I've been looking at the blog going...OK, I know I gotta put SOMETHING up here, I mean, the week is almost over, but I really don't want to lose that awesome image of Luke at center stage, but it's gonna be the weekend soon and I can't NOT say something, but if I go on and say it I'm going to lose that awesome picture...

But, you gotta do what you gotta do, and besides, we should be celebrating The Awesomenessness That is Where We Are.

We've sent two iPads that have been received, and two iPads that are soon to be classified as such. Two iPads are going to be purchased imminently and the parents have been told about this. We've raised funds for around 2 more and will keep pushing to get that to just over the 2 mark and then put those in motion. (We like to do them in groups of 2 or 3...just easier to manage that way, don'tcha know.)

Considering we've been 'officially' active since July 12?

That's astounding.

As a community, those of you who are affected by Special Needs or those of you that love someone who is, you should all be blowing out your elbows and shoulders patting yourselves on the back.

This could NOT be happening without all of your support. For real.

Have a fantastic weekend.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

iLuke

2011-08-01T14:35:00.004-04:00

'The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.'

-John Pierpont Morgan

As the saying goes, the first step is always the hardest.

I've never agreed with that completely.

I think the first step can be difficult, but the second is usually harder. The first step can, most of the time, be achieved in many circumstances through emotion, through adrenaline, or through sheer force of will and determination. Sometimes even by luck or circumstance.

As it pertains to the facilitation of the giving of an iPad2 for Christopher, that was achieved in one fell swoop by a single donor, and the entire process was well underway by the time that this site was even in its infancy. Even the next two? Mostly covered by the generosity of a single donation.

But I'm not talking about actual donations-to-iPads specifically, more about the actual Mission itself, and the setting of all of its wheels into motion. Its been a daunting, exhausting, stressful task and sometimes a little overwhelming. Taking that first step to make the decision to do this was easy, but all the steps afterward have each had their own unique challenges.

But when you see pictures of children like Luke Lundgren getting his iPad2, all you feel is joy. All you feel is relief and hope.

You smile and recognize that, in the end, any challenges that you have faced are so very minor in the face of the challenges that these children are confronted with every day, every moment, and those that they have yet to face...for the rest of their lives.

It is remarkably humbling, that much I can promise you. And even moreso to hear the sheer exuberance in the tone of Luke's mother, Kristi, when she e-mailed us mere HOURS after getting the iPad delivered:

'Luke is loving his iPad! With his cortical visual impairment, the interactive (lighted) screen has been wonderful. The bright colors and enlarged print allow him the best visual interaction possible. He adores the Touch and Say app. (highly recommend it!) He's been repeating the sounds he hears and singing along with parts of songs. It's a fun app! The other thing we're encouraged about are his fine motor skills. Before we got the iPad, Luke was just starting to figure out the use of his pointer finger. The iPad is really reinforcing this skill and teaching him better fine motor control. It's such a great device for a kid like Luke!'

I read that, and then started opening these photos that came into the Inbox.

I was speechless.

The irony of that statement, or even this Mission sometimes, is not lost on me.

Here, regarding communication-related disabilities, and an original contest for communication-based technology, specifically the Apple iPad2, where a lack of communication resulted in mistrust, doubt and ultimately action.

A community rattled by accusations, suppositions and secretive communication. And a person who struggles at times to manage his own communication effectively, representing a group who has made it their Mission to do what they can to fulfill promises broken, while sometimes struggling to communicate as effectively as they would like to with each other.

But then you see the wonder and the power and the potential in the eyes of a boy like Luke, and it is like a magical elixir, a healing agent, and when you drink from that cup it is like you have been filled by something so much more powerful and so much more significant than anything you have ever known and will ever know again and you are significantly and forever changed because of it.

And nothing else matters. Period.

But the greatest thing to take from the experience is the knowledge that these photos, even though they symbolize the completion of a 'Mission', an accomplishment of a goal, is to know that this is not an ending at all.

It is a beginning...a beginning for Luke, and for the Lundgrens, as they enter a whole new world of communicating with each other.

Together.

PEACE.

-Ken
On behalf of:
The Mission: iPossible! Group

weSupport

2011-07-29T17:35:00.001-04:00

Not exactly the title I had planned to post today.

No, today's blog was GOING to be titled iLuke, and it was going to feature Luke Lundgren, and the photos of he and his family gathered around the iPad2 that they received yesterday from us.

And that post will come. But I sent a note to The Lundgrens and their family assures me that the post about the iPad2 is absolutely one that can wait a couple of days so that I can instead use this space to talk to you all about another matter.

Because it is vital to remember that while this site exists to facilitate the giving if these devices to children with communication-related disabilities, it also exists for reasons that go much farther than that. This site is also about community, and supporting each other in times of need, in times of stress, or pain and struggle.

One of our own, one of the families on our list, is struggling now, and we need to divert our attention to them for the moment.

Liam, from the Olson family, is in the PICU at Hasbro Children's Hospital. You can read the update by Eric, Liam's Dad, at Pressure Support and offer your words of encouragement to his family there.

All of us here hope that Liam makes a speedy recovery and have nothing but the warmest of thoughts and prayers for him and his family. Eric and Karin, Hasbro Children's Hospital is in the Rhode Island area, am I right? Let us know if there is anything anybody can do for you.

Take care of yourselves and your brave little warrior.

*EDIT(6:42PM EST):
I've never been a Twitter guy. For obvious reasons. Well, I think they're obvious. I have the affliction known as Diarrhea of the Mouth. Or in this case hands I guess. Although, I suppose I could use Twitter as an educational tool (would that be tax deductible?) to learn some brevity. But on Eric's Sidebar I saw this, and wanted to share. He 'TWEETS' I guess you call it. He's also a very witty guy.

@PressureSupport-Eric Olson
'After all we've done for him, Liam is now refusing to share his morphine drip.'

Now THAT is a man who is keeping his spirits up!

PEACE.
-Ken

On behalf of:
Heather, Maureen, Darcy & Ken
Mission: iPossible

Screen Grab from FedEx?

2011-07-28T14:20:00.002-04:00

Priceless.

Worth WAY more than 1,000 words.

Stay tuned.

PEACE.
-Ken

On behalf of:
Heather, Maureen, Darcy & Ken
Mission: iPossible

Three

2011-07-27T12:15:00.011-04:00

'And Saint Attila raised the iPads up on high, saying, "O LORD, bless these Thy iPads that with them Thou mayest educate Thine friends with technology, in Thy mercy." And the LORD did grin and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats and large chu...And the LORD spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy iPads, then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be Three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to Three. Five is right out. Once the number Three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy iPads towards thy friends, who being awesome in My sight, shall use them." '

- Book of Armaments (Chapter 2 - Verses 9-21)

There are times when the circumstances call for seriousness and steadfastness. And others, where you need to take off the shackles a little, and have some fun.

Fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the 1975 (wow, can someone PLEASE dust me off?) British comedy starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin will instantly recognize the moment that is riffed on here, when the errant knights try to foil the plans of a killer rabbit blocking their way with a Holy Hand Grenade on their quest to find the Holy Grail.

Non-fans will be going...'Huh?'

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of a handful of films from the comedy troupe Monty Python's Flying Circus and is considered by many their greatest work. It is a treasured classic that, although British comedy is a taste that for some has to be acquired here in the U.S., if you haven't seen it...well, I think you should.

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch sequence is one of my favorites, and whenever someone starts yapping about the number Three, my mind always goes three places. The actual Holy Trinity, Star Wars Trilogies, and that never un-funny reading from the Book of Armaments that parodies the Athanasian Creed (hey, I'm a Catholic, so a little poking fun at my Church I can live with) and satirizes a globus cruciger.

OK, so I modified the reading a little for my purposes. So what. It isn't REALLY canonicalish, or whatever-you-call-it.

Like I said. Sometimes we gotta LIGHTEN UP. Which is what we are gonna do today. That's because we are making the official announcement of the purchase of THREE NEW iPADS.

Isn't that AMAZING? We think so, too.

There have been some remarkable, and I do mean remarkable, donations. It's something I want to go over in a separate post, probably tomorrow or Friday at the latest, because it deserves it's own spot. But the generosity of human beings can be a very humbling thing, and to witness it has been very transformative for me, on a fundamental level.

One of these days I will make a real attempt to try to explain that much more effectively.

We've notified the parents of the kiddos, and that means that these Recipient households...

The Lundgrens
cerealgirl007 - Cereal World
Scooby Snack

...are all lined up and in the process of having the final stages of their individual Missions completed.

The Lundgrens and cerealgirl007 have completed their Verification and the iPads will be leaving today or tomorrow depending on our schedule. We'll be sending them the tracking info privately. Scooby Snack's iPad will be sent out shortly, we are just waiting for the Verification paperwork they sent in via traditional mail.

That's kind of cool actually.

NO ONE sends traditional mail anymore. I mean, other than Christmas and Birthdays and stuff, when you really think about it. I work from home, and I DON'T EVEN bother to check the mail anymore. It's just bills. What a drag. I kind of miss the days of getting letters from people, even though environmentally speaking we're all way better off not having that much more extra debris floating around on Mother Earth.

Yeah, somebody REALLY needs to dust me off.

Anybody got a Swiffer?

PEACE.
-Ken

On behalf of:
Heather, Maureen, Darcy & Ken
Mission: iPossible

Grace to the Humble

2011-07-23T15:00:00.001-04:00

Did you ever get so overjoyed about something, you tripped over yourself in your excitement while celebrating?

Happens all the time.

In the age of digital cameras, smart phones and the Internet you see all sorts of examples of it. From slips that reveal a bit too much skin, to NFL players falling on their keesters, no one is immune to the embarrassment of occasionally taking one to the chin when they are jumping up and down in celebration.

Not even us.

In Wednesday's post, I teased everybody to keep their weathered eyes on the horizon for some updates to our site for new pages to start making their way into the Mission. After that post went live, we received a bit of news, a bit of game changing news, that...well, changed our game.

That's why they call it GAME-CHANGING, 'natch!

And we were so blown away by it that we went into spiritual and emotional overdrive, and in our haste, we got a little lost. But not too badly. Did someone just say something about 'Rock' and 'Salvation'?

Some of the pages went live before they were supposed to, but nothing was shared that violated any of the promises we made, that much I assure you. The only thing that happened was that the sequential order of the Recipients went up before we'd had a chance to contact the parents personally, something we'd promised to do, and for that all we can do is apologize and ask to be forgiven.

Other things, like some of the Forms and such, were not ready to be posted, but that is small potatoes. We can fix those things and re-activate them with relative ease. What I want most is to just publicly acknowledge our responsibility, offer our apology, and to explain the reason why yesterday went a little wacky.

Because the intentions were honorable, and the news very good indeed.

It is with sincere humility and delight that I announce on behalf of our entire team that we have partnered with Bill, Victoria and their daughter Gwendolyn from The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation.

Gwendolyn Strong was born in October, 2007, perfectly healthy, but was diagnosed with the terminal disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I at 6-months-old.

Bill and Victoria, her parents, are obviously committed to raising awareness about and funding research for SMA and helping families who are torn apart by this horrible disease, but to understand the significance of their offer to help us in this cause is to understand something fundamentally beautiful about the human spirit that I think is forever forged out of being the parent of a child who is disabled.

And that is the unwavering, steadfast commitment we have to each other in our community. It is not necessary that we know each other. It is not an absolute that our children share the same condition.

When our children suffer, we suffer.

And this bonds us. Permanently.

They did not hesitate, for a nano-second, to reach out and extend their umbrella to service our cause; a cause that Bill himself had only good things to say about.

From a spiritual standpoint this is...monumentally nourishing.

But first, let me go over the practical side of things. (Yeah, yeah, I know...I gotta go spoil the moment...)

The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation is a straight-up, legitimate, well-respected 501 (c)(3), which now makes any donation to Mission: iPossible 100% tax deductible and 100% secure. There are no fees removed other than the usual Merchant Services credit card fees that most online transactions have (3-5%), so nearly ALL money received will go directly to service the needs of the children, without a per-transaction percentage fee like some non-profit partnership opportunities that there are out there.

But best of all?

We are restoring our faith and trust from within our own community, and since we were attacked from within our community, this is a major building block for the return of a measure of trust. With grace and with dignity, they help us wipe away ANY residual doubt that might be left behind in the wake of the disastrous giveaway that started this chain of events. There is no way we can possibly thank Bill, Victoria and their precious daughter Gwendolyn enough for this extraordinary gesture of Humanitarianism.

As you can see now, there is an active Donation button to the right on our page. This takes you to a page that is hosted and sponsored by the GSF, and it is live. If you click it, you are not obligated to make a donation by that act alone, so feel free to explore. Though, if you have the cash, don't hold back either! Because if you do, and some have, you will be issued a receipt that you can use with the IRS at tax time.

We have already secured the funds for another iPad thanks to the support of a couple of HEAVY-HITTING donors, and we are inches away from another, both of which we should be announcing officially next week, at which time I will also go over the Random Drawing we did and a few other dangling issues I want to cover.

And by then all of our ducks should be stacked up nice and neat, in a perfect row, quacking away.

Thank you Bill, Victoria & Gwendolyn, for opening doors we could never have opened ourselves. To our parents and Recipients, our readership and our friends, thank you for your understanding and all of your patience. And thank you, as always, to those both inside and outside of this community, for your support and participation in this effort.

PEACE.
-Ken

On behalf of:
Heather, Maureen, Darcy & Ken
Mission: iPossible

Some Updates

2011-07-20T16:20:00.002-04:00

We wanted to take an opportunity to share a few little snippets with you, keep you in the loop as to some of what is going on. Not just in our world, but some of those things related to it.

A very supercharged shout-out to everyone who commented on yesterday's blog about Christopher's iPad! It was a very emotional moment, for everybody, and if you'd like to experience it from another perspective, be sure to check out the blog of Christopher's mother Stephanie, Our Little Man, she put up a really sweet entry today about the iPad.

Looking forward to staying in touch and seeing more photos of Christopher and his family communicating!

In other news, you'll see in the next couple of days a lot of subtle details getting peppered in to our site, courtesy of the entire crew, working feverishly behind the scenes to try to finalize a lot of the details. Keep an eye out as pages become live as tabs at the top of the page, revealing new information, like Verification forms, Contact Information and other nifty stuff.

To all the Parents of the Recipients, fear NOT! You do not have to sweat any of the details. In addition to having the pages here we will, as before, be in touch with you privately to offer some information and answer questions.

We're all in this together.

Speaking of togetherness, be sure to head on over to Ellen's blog Love That Max!, where she is hosting a giveaway for not one, but TWO iPads, including the amazing Proloquo2Go Speech application that I'm sure everybody on the list here had put on their software list that they had originally submitted. It's an awesome app, and if you follow Ellen's blog, which you should, you know that it has made a tremendous difference in Max's life.

Go check it out and be sure to enter. It's certainly worth a shot, right?

PEACE.

iChristopher

2011-07-19T10:20:00.004-04:00

As if you didn't already KNOW.

But a tease is a tease, and sometimes that's what you have to do, build up to something and then...WHAMMO. Reveal the surprise.

As a parent with a child who has a disability, and a lot of difficulty with communication, and as a parent who was a part of this contest, I can tell you with some confidence that I am sure all of us, this group that I like to call 'The Forty', has a story. And I know in my heart that every story is unique, beautiful, heart-breaking, uplifting, terrifying, wonderful, and special.

What made Stephanie and Christopher's story leap out at me, and I can only speak for me, was what happened to them when they thought they were receiving their iPad from the original contest site. They got a real 'whammy-jammy' laid upon them by the alignment of their circumstances and the original giveaway, as explained by Stephanie in the comments section of Love That Max, one of the many blogs that covered the carnage.

'In our case, this has affected some of my son's treatment plan! We travel 300 miles for therapy services. He was getting Augmentative Communication therapy @ Rehab Institute of Chicago. We had originally decided to order something like a Dynavox computer for Christopher ($4000 - $10,000 depending on accessories). Now that would have been covered by insurance and would have taken the entire year limit for DME purchases. About that time we found that we were awarded the iPad. Our therapists were thrilled, because it was more versatile than a straight communication device. We made weekly appointments throughout the summer.

Every week, we would have to show up empty handed. Every week, our therapists were getting more and more frustrated - we were taking up appointment times for people who actually HAD devices to use. After last week when we had been told the iPads were mailed, then they weren't etc., our therapists said come back when you have the tools for therapy.

We are now at the bottom of a two year waiting list. So, even if it were to show up tomorrow - my son misses out. Not to mention, now we have to make a decision whether to cancel the order for the stander and gait trainer that we ordered, or decide to get a communication device. I also have a bunch of therapists who think I am some liar, stringing them along.'

That really struck a chord in a lot of people, myself included, and I know it resonated with Kara, who we talked about yesterday. It was mentioned in Mo's original post about the purchase of the iPad, I just edited it for purposes of keeping the identity hidden.

Mo's quotation from one of the Prayers of St. Francis yesterday summed it up perfectly, and I never thought that I, a man, a Catholic man, who has been struggling with my Faith for 20 years, would so willingly embrace one of the Prayers so...effortlessly.

But how can I not? The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi (sometimes called the 'Peace Prayer') is actually quite beautiful, and as much as this may surprise you if you have been following me personally for two years, I'd like to share it with you here in its entirety. This is its English translation.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Does it get much better than that?

PEACE.

Hey, MO!

2011-07-18T11:05:00.001-04:00

No...not THAT Moe...although, to reveal that 1/2 of the secret identity of SNAvenger was indeed Moe Howard, a resurrected 1/3 of The Three Stooges would be the Story of the Century, the Mo I refer to is the nickname for 1/4 of our Mission: iPossible group...a woman, a mother you know of as Maureen.

Too many fractions in there. You still with me?

Remember the iPad that we've been telling you that was purchased and delivered? Maureen is the one who went to the store and bought it. But why should I tell the story, when she can tell it way 'MO BETTAH' than I?

And with that? Here's Maureen...

My family and the Needhams have been friends for years. Actually, Heather is my mother's girlfriend. She and I have children close in age, though, so I call her my friend too.

I was raised with a cousin who has Down Syndrome. We were brought up to respect people with special needs. I remember being 9 or 10 years old and correcting adults who used the 'R word', before it was PC to do it. We knew it was our job to be patient and loving with people that were different, people like our cousin - who, to us, was just another cousin. As we got older, this played out in many ways. One of my sisters currently works as a therapist for children who have severe cases of Autism. Another sister worked as a job coach for adults with special needs, until she quit to become a stay-at-home Mother.

My entire family has followed Zoey's and Heather's blog since its inception. When we learned that Zoey had been awarded an iPad, we were thrilled for her. My own children love playing with their grandma's iPad - and I have always been so impressed with how intuitively the kids were able to operate the device. I knew, right away, that Zoey and all the other "winners" would really benefit from the technology. I reflected on the first time each of my children said, "Love you, Mommy," and was so glad that these "winning" Moms and Dads were going to get the chance to maybe hear that from their own children for the first time.

Some members of my family contributed to the fund in the hopes that more children would be given iPads. But after a few weeks, we started to wonder where Zoey's iPad was. Heather confided in my mother that she was getting suspicious. There had been numerous delays, and no deliveries. I texted Heather and asked what was up with the giveaway. She called me and shared her concerns, indicating that she was starting to feel that the entire thing was bogus. I told her I wanted to look into it. Because I'm nosey like that.

I started to look around a bit on the Internet, and right away I found some information that made me go, "Huh?" I enlisted a dear friend of mine, Darcy [Editor's note: The other 1/2 of the SNAvenger Identity], who is far, far more technologically savvy than I am. She found even more evidence that all was not right. We became convinced that there were no iPads, and that families were being lied to. We sent the organizer of the "giveaway" a very harsh email, demanding that he stop accepting donations to his Paypal account, and that he tell the "recipients" the truth.

We told him we would turn him in to the authorities. We were absolutely infuriated for the families we believed had been lied to. We were sickened that anyone would take advantage of the trust and generosity of the special needs community. We were scared that families who didn't have much money to give away were doing so anyway, in the hope that it would make a difference in the life of another child with special needs.

After corresponding with the person in charge of the "giveaway" for a while, he agreed to tell the "winners" the truth. With Heather's guidance, my friend and I decided to confide in Ken, and tell him what we'd been doing and what we knew. After much correspondence, we decided that we'd all still like to see the kids who were promised iPads obtain the technology. We asked ourselves, "What can we do about this?"

Thus, the Mission: iPossible group was born. With our four different personalities and different skill sets, we thought we could make the iPads iPossible for these great kids...one at a time.

Remember that sister I told you about? The one who used to be a job coach for adults with special needs? She has always had a place in her heart for people who are different. She is now a stay-at-home Mom with two beautiful daughters, and married to a young fireman. My sister, Kara, had donated to the original "fund", believing that it meant more kids would get iPads. After she spoke with me, Kara immediately went to the internet and checked out all the blogs that were discussing the alleged scandal.

After a while, she called me and said, "I want to buy an iPad for one of the families, let me talk to T.C. (her husband)." T.C. had some reservations and a lot of questions. Sending an expensive piece of technology to a complete stranger? He wasn't sure it was a great idea. Like a good husband, though, he told his wife to do whatever she felt was right. The next day, she and I went to the Apple Store and she bought the family an iPad2. We sent it out immediately.

T.C. does not have much connection to the special needs community. Our cousin, who is now 21-years-old, was the first person with Down Syndrome he'd ever met. When he was shown the photographs of the child opening the iPad, he was so moved that he told Kara, my sister, that if they could come up with the funds (they are in the midst of buying a house right now), that he'd like to buy more iPads for these children. Just as receiving the device was huge for the family; it was also huge for their benefactors. Like St. Francis said, "It is in giving that we receive."

Anyway, that's the story. Not all of it, of course, not even most of it - but the main points. I am so committed to getting iPads out to each and every recipient who still wants one. Thanks for allowing me to help and for the chance to earn your trust!

There you have it. From the source.

It is the intention of Mission: iPossible to handle the fulfillment of the Recipient list in random order, to be determined soon, via a digital video that we will shoot and post to YouTube and link to in a blog.

Full disclosure. Full transparency.

You'll hear these words a lot. You may tire of them. But they are necessary. Of this there can be little doubt.

It should be noted that this particular iPad preceded that drawing and was donated from someone's heart, in the midst of the fallout of this entire debacle of a contest, even as this group was in its infancy, based on feeling, and we also would never stand in the way of that because of a set of guidelines.

We are 'Giving Facilitators', according to our Mission Statement, not 'Giving Get-In-Way-Of-Ors'...or something like that. :)

That's the fine line that we will have to walk, but we walk it gladly, steadfast and determined to work through any kinks, as there will be some. But if a 'kink' in a process is that a child gets to communicate with a parent and we see comments like the ones I put in the last post?

We'll take that ANY DAY.

Tomorrow? The REVEAL.

PEACE.

Anticipation

2011-07-15T16:40:00.000-04:00

Good things come to those who wait.

They say that, but what they don't tell you is that waiting REALLY stinks! It feels like ages ago that we dropped the hint that we had procured and even shipped an iPad in an effort to complete what we call MISSION ONE as an organized unit, even though it has been less than a week.

Why the delay?

Well, the day after we had dropped our teaser, a non-existent iPad appeared and was awarded to one of the recipients in the original contest! It came as such a surprise to everybody that we decided that we wanted to wait to reveal ours because there were a lot of questions and suspicions floating about, and it made sense to wait and allow for a cool-down period.

But when I received this, from one of the parents of the child who received the iPad, I wanted to share it. With permission, I do so now, though I have altered it slightly because this is a TEASER, I am going to post the rest of the story...I'm not telling, as I don't want to get punked this time.

'We appreciate this more than you can imagine. He/she has already started showing us that he/she knows more than he/she has been letting on! We have a couple of free apps that we downloaded teaching colors, shapes, etc. He/she picked out shapes that we have never gone over (more than once). He/she also showed us that he/she recognizes different animals and was able to pick out animals based on questions: "What animal has fur?" "Which animal swims?" Etc. We have NEVER reviewed animals in that way.'

I told the parent that this was probably the single greatest thing in the known universe that I had heard all week, and it was 100% what this project is about. I get misty-eyed even re-counting the exchange, it is THAT important when your child moves into territory as yet un-charted, and to hear phrases like that is so...pure.

And after all the negativity swirling about this entire week, I needed it more than a man stepping off the surface of the sun needs a drink of water. A BIG drink of water.

Look for much more of that story very, very soon.

Also, check out the new pages as they get updated, the OUR MISSION page and the RECIPIENTS list, and we have a Facebook Page now, courtesy of one Steve Hoveke, my dear friend who thought of it while I was too busy to do so. Steve, thanks for having my back. As soon as I can remember how to get a Facebook Badge on this site, I will be happy to easily link you all up to it!

More soon!
(And no, that's not the official sign-off...)

Construction Underway

2011-07-13T10:40:00.001-04:00

You can't hide it when you get things started on Blogger.

Well, maybe you can, but I'm a toy geek, not a computer wizard.

We are in the process of putting the finishing touches together on what we need as far as the gooey innards of this site and then we'll start adding them in. In the meantime, you'll probably see little tweaks and bloops along the way.

No big deal...besides, I think we LIKE the fact that you can see the fact that we're working on it and not just sitting around playing Pachisi or something.

Did I just reference Pachisi?

OU...

Oops. Wait a minute...I think we need to have a different sign-off. Gonna have to give this one some thought. MiP and the tagline were so EASY.

This is gonna be HARD.

Emotional Control

2011-07-13T09:49:00.002-04:00

*MiP Editor's Note: This was one of the first blogs referencing Mission: iPossible from the blog called Blogzilly and has been transferred here for archival purposes, with comments turned off.

It is only natural, in times like these, to let our emotions take over.

Everyone feels things on such an intense, focused level. Everyone. Especially the parents. I don't think I need to remind anyone that I was a former recipient in the Marissa's Bunny iPad Contest, and it is very easy to get swallowed up by current events. In case you had not seen those current events, they were, in summary, a statement by the contest host that the contest is officially closed and the iPads will not be forthcoming.

Ever since that time, my Inbox and Heather's has been in overdrive. Comments sections in blogs have been deluged. Facebook is on fire. Cats and dogs, living together...mass hysteria!

It has been suggested that some people on the recipient list are not who they claim to be, that entire identities are in question. A reasonable thing to be aware of. Please know that we ARE aware that identity verification is essential to any process, and one member of our team you will be meeting shortly has created some very cool forms that are simple and very easy to fill out that any recipient would ONLY have to complete when an iPad is ready to be delivered. This gal's GOOD. IN fact, here is a look at one of the forms right now. Cool huh?

But you won't need to complete it until WE are ready to ship an iPad to YOU. And not before. No need to ask for something until it is needed, capise? You all have been through enough of that.

Other steps will be taken as needed, but I also urge this...do not over-stress about this parents, recipients and other members of the community. We all need to keep a reasoned mind. Too many people have their torches out.

Is it OK to skeptical? Absolutely. But we cannot afford to be accusatory of anyone. It would not be the right thing to do and it would take us off the task at hand.

As it stands, after having posted the invitation to join the restoration process, our of 40 posted recipients, I have only received 15 responses to this request, though one I know if is still probably pending. This does not mean that the rest are 'not real'. I honestly think that many people have simply had enough. I can tell you this...I am exhausted from this. My wife hates me right now. This thing can take on a life of its own and I am convinced that a LOT of recipients probably have just said 'You know what...this shit SUCKS!!!' and moved on.

I'd be lying if thoughts like that had not crossed my mind about the entire Internet. That's what happens in your head when things like this happen. So you can't just jump instantly to any single conclusion.

I assure you, we will address this in the verification process section in the new blog site, so please do not stress over it. Ask yourself this...what IF someone who was not supposed to get an iPad got an iPad? As long as we succeed in our mission, then that does not matter. If that means we get 37 OTHER kids, or whatever the number turns out to be, their iPads, that's ALL that does matter. Cost of business. Plain and simple. In life, you cannot let the monster under the bed keep you from taking action.

We have to remember, as difficult as it is as parents (and remember, Heather and I were both former recipients too, we have an 'emotional' stake as well), to keep our emotions in check as much as possible and proceed with dignity and caution.

Things will unfold as they should. Have faith, in yourselves, in each other especially and the strength of this community, to stay strong and to stay focused on what matters the most.

OUT.

M:iP! Clarification, an Apology & a Tiny Teaser

2011-07-13T09:48:00.002-04:00

*MiP Editor's Note: This was one of the first blogs referencing Mission: iPossible from the blog called Blogzilly and has been transferred here for archival purposes, with comments turned off.

Got a note this morning, or maybe yesterday...days are a bit blurry right now, regarding the Mission: iPossible! project that we have started. It was from one of the participants in the contest who won an iPad. No need to inform you of who that is at this time, not unless this person wishes it.

Anyway, the gist of the message was that the winner had informed the original contest hosts that they no longer wanted to be in consideration for the iPad, and as a courtesy also wanted to inform me of the same. Although the winner was appreciative of what I announced and had some very nice things to say, the reason given was that one had already been purchased and so, therefore, no iPad was needed.

I haven't asked yet, but if I receive permission when I finally get the Mission: iPossible! blog up (which will act as our main website for the time being) and create the Winners Page so that I can have a checklist once winners receive their iPads, I'll list the winner there and have them as 'checked off'.

So, this got me to thinking...I made a, let's call it a somewhat arrogant presumption, that I need to apologize for. I presumed, wrongly, that the people on the winners list of the original contest would simply come on over, no muss no fuss, and be a willing participant in this project.

That was a fairly stupid conclusion to jump to, I wasn't really thinking. I'm sorry about that.

It is still, as you can see in various comments sections (not HERE of course, people don't leave 60 comments HERE) a fairly divisive issue.

I understand that, I really do, and I respect it completely.

So I need to 'put out the call' so to speak. If you were a winner of the original iPad contest, and you wish to be considered in this restoration project, please e-mail me at klilly@creatusmaximus.com so that I can add your name to our list.

Please put Mission: iPossible! iPad Project into the Subject line, and include your Name and contact information in the e-mail, along with any other information you think I need to know. Any good jokes are also welcome. I love a good laugh.

This list will remain private until I receive clearance from the participants in written form to post it publicly. I am simply trying to get a 'head-count' so to speak, since it will help when trying to calculate an end-goal. Hopefully you all can understand how important that is to actually working out all the necessary details to achieve that goal. Need to raise some capital!

Does that clarify things a bit? Hope so. I'm looking at a couple of days before I get the basic site structure of M:iP! up and running. I know...it doesn't take THAT long to create a blog from a template. But we do have other things to consider and some details to finalize.

And OH YEAH...I almost forgot...the tease part. Our little group has already secured its first iPad, via donation, and a couple other interesting things, and that means one recipient, as soon as we know who actually wants to BE a recipient, could be selected as early as tomorrow.

It is our intention to, hopefully, be able to announce that recipient, with photos and everything, as soon as the MiP! blog goes live in a couple of days!

How do ya like DEM...um...Apples?

You don't KNOW how long I've been waiting to say that. OK, just one day, but it felt like forever. :P

OUT.

Mission iPossible

2011-07-12T09:46:00.001-04:00

*MiP Editor's Note: This was one of the first blogs referencing Mission: iPossible from the blog called Blogzilly and has been transferred here for archival purposes, with comments turned off.

A brief preface to this, before I continue. Anyone who currently runs a blog site and wishes to copy this text below, you are by all means allowed, and even encouraged to do so. I want to spread the word, so to speak, to as many places as will have it.

On May 13th, in the digital pages of this very blog, I announced that I was the winner of an iPad in a contest hosted by a website known as Marissa’s Bunny. I was one of 40 other families, selected in a merit-based contest, to receive an iPad, $500 worth of free software and, if memory serves correctly, I think there was also a gift certificate to an Apple store for $70.00 that could be used for hardware, like a case for protection and so forth.

I say ‘if memory serves’, because the contest ended several months ago.

To date no one, to my knowledge, has received an iPad.

To be absolutely clear, I can only say with 100% certainty that I have not. No one that I have been in contact with on the winners list has said they have received one. None of the winners who have blogs have stepped forward to announce that they have received theirs on their blogs, and the other winners on the list, who do not have public blogs, I do not know how to reach out to.

If you follow the blog that originally hosted the contest, you will see mention of various delays in the shipment of the iPads, you will also see, now, the site has gone through some fairly major changes and the iPad contest overall has been suspended.

This is a very difficult thing to write about, let me assure you. It is very easy...VERY easy, to get sucked into a lot of negativity, suspicion and outright emotional chaos when situations like these present themselves. Many bloggers have been receiving e-mails from winners searching for answers, I have received them as well, and it can be hard to navigate waters that are as uncharted as these.

Many bloggers have already started posting about it. Some, unfortunately, in the structure of what they have written, are dangerously close to libel. I urge every blogger who writes a single word to be very, very careful about what you say about a person and how you say it. I am sure nobody wants to get entangled in anything that could cause you any kind of problem in the future.

I do understand that in times like these, questions bounce around like pinballs, you get a lot, and you feel the need to answer them. I get them myself. Is it true what that e-mail said about Mike, Ken? Do you think that the iPads are really going to ship, Ken? What should I do, Ken? Is this whole thing a scam, Ken?

The plain truth is this...when something like this happens; there is no easy answer to ANY question. At least, not one that anyone can give you that can be given with authority, certainty and fairness.

But the Internet is a large place, full of information. You do not need me, or anyone else, to tell you what or how to think. You don't need me or anybody else in order to draw your own conclusion about whether you think you will or will not be receiving an iPad. You need to do your own due diligence and research and come to your own conclusions.

Information is out there, you just have to go looking for it.

Hell, for shits and giggles, look up my name. If you type in Ken Lilly, or Ken Lilly Palisades, or Ken Lilly Blogzilly, or whatever, you will find a bucketload of information about me and all the stuff I’ve worked on, interviews I’ve done, toys I’ve designed. But please don't search for Ken Lilly Naked Dress Bachelor Party Emergency Room Gerbils. There's just no NEED.

My point here is this.

I am not here to smear anyone. I am not here to tell you whether I think Marrisa’s Bunny was on the up and up, or whether this was just something that got out of hand. I am not here to tell you what to think. Or how to feel.

It is not my place. Nor my responsibility.

I can only tell you what I think about how our community should behave, and what I, as an individual, plan to do. I can also share with you my experiences with this contest, as I was an active participant in the process.

It is my intention to proceed by this assumption, and that is that the iPads from the contest are not going to be forthcoming. And honestly, even if one showed up now, even though I believe it never will, especially in light of the latest statement from the website that any parent winner that has any involvement in the 'threats' is off the winners list, I would mark Return to Sender and give it back to the carrier.

I do not desire it.

That is not to say I have previously been involved in any of the suggested perceived 'threats'. But I fear that this post will be taken as such, even though I have said time and again that I do not have all the answers and that I urge you to reserve judgment and form your own conclusions. I am hopeful that this post is not viewed that way, but I am also a realistic man.

As realistic as I have been about this contest, as it has felt strange for a long, long time.

It has been stated on the website that the contest has been suspended indefinitely for reasons that do not, to me, make any rational sense. But a lot about the contest doesn't make sense and hasn't from the very beginning, in my opinion.

There is no timetable. And there never was. It has already been months. The contest never had a verification process that I had to fill out. I never had to sign a thing. I never had to send in paperwork to prove I had a Special Needs child.

Then $500 in software was added in later, instead of a handful of new iPads for Special Needs families. To me, and again, this is just my opinion, this was a bit weird. It didn't really pass my own sniff test, but again, who am I to argue someone's generosity? I just felt like even questioning it made me feel like a complete asshole. But I kept thinking that it would make much more sense to, if you are donating something, to donate a few more iPads to cover more kids, not $500 in Apps for EACH winner.

While generous and of course I was EXTREMELY gracious and grateful in my communications (which I would be more than happy to share if I was asked to, BTW), this was just odd, since apps are usually free or $.99 - $1.99 and that served to delay the iPad shipments even longer as families struggled to fill an Apps list, with some people finally giving up and saying 'We can't THINK of any more Apps, just keep the rest of the money!'.

As far as the shipment of the iPads, we had been told iPads had shipped several different times, in quantities whose numbers kept changing, then told they did not. I was told that mine had DEFINITIVELY shipped. Later told it had not. Again later we were told that 25 people absolutely, positively had their iPads shipped, and that UPS picked them up. Then told that UPS had screwed it up. Later still came the message that 'Everything has shipped.'

Still, as of today, July 9, no winners have stepped forward that I know of.

Of course, the question always remained about the corporation...I kept wondering to myself...why would a corporation that was so magnanimous, so willing to give of itself to families of Special Needs children, NOT want to take credit for that publicly? The answer to that question was always that the company did not want other groups coming to them hitting them up for more charity. I've never heard of any company, EVER, that afraid of confrontation in my entire life.

I have also never, not once in my entire life, seen a company not take advantage of that level of giving from a PR perspective, especially when you are talking about this kind of expense and this particular community. ESPECIALLY in this particular climate when, nationwide, special needs kids are getting CREAMED by state governments and their revisions to their benefits. What BETTER time to become a savior to a community that is currently being slammed to the canvas?

And the corporation would not be WRONG to do this. To me, remaining anonymous does not grant them some higher moral standing. It is natural, it is normal, it is expected that they would do so in the corporate world, and I doubt there are many rational thinking Special Needs Mom's and Dad's out there that would begrudge that. I certainly would not.

But in this case, they did not want any attention whatsoever. You know how I feel about 'corporations', so I have to be sure I don't let my personal anti-establishment feelings cloud my perceptions here. But why WOULDN'T they want the publicity? Could it be because despite their massive success they couldn't find one person among them capable of shipping a single pre-packaged, already-ready to ship iPad out of 40 while I, out of my house, can ship over 287 INDIVIDUALLY sold loose Star Wars figures in a single day (my personal best record on eBay ever, 'natch) and regularly ships items from all three major carriers out of my house each week with no help whatsoever?

How does a corporation with this much power, this much money and this much generosity screw something up this badly?

There are just too many inconsistencies in the information I have received over the last couple of months via website and e-mail, and so much continued and, in my opinion, deliberate vagueness. And do I ever mean 'continued'...(on blogger's comments sections), because even as of this afternoon as I finish writing this, it is ongoing on Ellen's blog.

All of this, in combination, has helped guide me to the conclusion that from this point forward, I no longer have faith in anything regarding this contest, and I no longer WANT to care about it.

It is not relevant to me anymore.

And I will say this...I am still reserving FINAL judgment that this may have nothing at all to do with Mike until all of the facts are in. It could still very well be the company he works for, or some third party, or the 'mysterious person who was fired'. And that's why I am trying to make sure everyone understands...this is a commentary about a CONTEST.

Not a MAN.

This is based on MY belief, MY researched opinion.

It is still going to be up to you to draw your own conclusions.

But I assure you, that every step I take from here forward will be based on my belief. What else is a person left with other than that?

That is not to say that nothing is being ‘done’ about looking into the matter or that I just wash my hands and turn my back. I do not want you to think that not answering questions or being elusive with questions I have received does not suggest inaction. But please, I am asking you, as a matter of trust, which I know is extremely, EXTREMELY, hard for you to do at the moment, to have faith that the correct and just steps are being taken to look into this contest that are 100% legal and 100% above board and 100% fair to all parties and are not threatening any harm to anyone, especially Mike's family, as he has stated.

If you are a reader of my blog, you know I am an open book.

Some would say too open. I have always disagreed with that. I always hoped one day that this...tendency of mine would serve a greater purpose. Please allow it to serve me now. Trust that what I am telling you has merit, and then let this part of it go. Do not let this become something ugly, something that tarnishes our community.

It's inevitable and I cannot stop this, but already I can see on various blogs and comments sections battle lines being drawn and sides being 'chosen', and that is a disturbing prospect.

But if you can, before you suit up and grab a weapon, let things run their course.

Be dignified.

There is a real danger here. A danger of getting swallowed up by the negativity, the darkness, which this entire situation could possibly generate. Therefore, a different response, a different approach, is absolutely required. It is extremely important; no it is paramount to remember that, in the end, this is only about one thing and one thing alone. There is only one 'side' you need to choose.

Our kids.

Nothing else matters.

For the past few days, via telephone, I have been speaking at length with Heather, who writes Little Wonders about her daughter Zoey and the rest of her beautiful family. And direct from the Credit Where Credit is Due Department, this is 100% her idea, I am just the one writing this statement because...well...verbosity and me? We get along.

But it is our intention, along with some friends of hers and possibly others who might wish to participate voluntarily, to make the attempt to finish what has been started that both of us think will not be completed.

Our mission?

We are going to make every effort possible to get these children their iPads. And I don’t mean the contest iPads. I’m talking about this from an entirely different angle, because like I said, as far as I am concerned, those iPads don't exist, because the website says they are not going to ship until this is sorted out, and I do not see that happening.

Now, should I be wrong in this assumption that they are not coming and should the contest iPads show up to the other 38 people at the same time that we hope to be successful in our restoration efforts? So be it, the kids will have two iPads and they can sell one of them, give them away, whatever they please. The iPads will be theirs to do with as they choose

But that is irrelevant to me at the moment, because all that matters to me, to us, from this point forward is restoring some kind of balance, remaining positive, and staying focused on what matters most.

And that’s exactly what we hope to do.

We are, currently, smack dab in the middle of figuring out various ways of exactly how to accomplish this task, which we are calling Mission iPossible!, and as we know more you will know more.

I can tell you that it would take months to establish our own Non-Profit Organization as a 501(c)(3) through the IRS. We do not want to wait months, so we are looking into alternatives. Possibly piggy-backing with an existing 501(c)(3) organization, something like that.

Why do I bring this up? Trust. Because if it comes down to some kind of fund-raising campaign, a 501(c)(3) will provide you with a legitimate tax deduction for larger donations and a record of its existence will be reviewable through the IRS and also through GuideStar, THE source for verification of legitimacy for non-profits. If you want to know if you can trust it? They are the place to check it out.

BUT...other avenues are being explored first, asking for money from this community? That is a LAST step. Not the first. But each step we DO take will be done with full transparency, full disclosure, at every single stop along this road.

As part of that, it should be noted up front that because Heather and I were both contest winners originally, and because we are now both a part of this mission, it is essential that the two of us now, as of this moment, officially remove ourselves as iPad recipients in this restoration effort. It would be a conflict of interest for us to remain as such and also be involved in the process of trying to raise funds or find some other means of procuring iPads for these disabled children.

Like I said.

Full transparency. Full disclosure.

We are going to need to do a lot of things like this on the journey, like the creation of a verification process for the winners, since in the original contest no such process existed, and so on. And like any project, it is very possible that we may fail, but I prefer not to consider that as an option and to remember the old adage of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Besides, no one ever got anywhere without trying. We certainly, if nothing else at the moment, have a great deal of determination to get us going. It may take some time, but as you know, the clean-up after any disaster is usually a time consuming process.

You should also know that the best way to get through it, the ONLY way, is to put the disastrous event behind you, and move forward.

So that’s what we’re going to do.

OUT.