The Toy Factory Lofts Party to Support Chance for Change

The Toy Factory Lofts Party to Support Chance for Change

Corks were popped, the cheese was cut, homemade desserts were laid out and the roulette wheel was enticingly displayed in the lobby of the Toy Factory Lofts on Thursday March 20th. Sydney, using Heather, her 9 month old daughter, as 'The Cutest Lure in The World', engaged residents as they came through the lobby.  Kelly reeled them in with the opportunity to spin the roulette wheel to win Patron tequila, tickets to the event or donate $15-$100 towards the purchase of a hybrid bike for the silent auction.  Our volunteers came together like a well-oiled machine and hosted a great Wine & Cheese party to inspire the residents of The Toy Factory Lofts to support our Chance for Change event.

Big thank you's to all the volunteers for your efforts and congratulations of meeting our donation goal!

A Day on the Hill

On Tuesday, March 4th, 2014 I (Taryn, the Charitable Programs Director) had the privilege of attending the Canadian Organization of Rare Disorders (CORD) Action Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, ON.

As someone who has never been on "The Hill" before, it was a really exciting and eye opening day. I was asked a few weeks ago, as a participant of Answering TTP Foundation's Patient Advisory Board (PAB) to attend the conference and Action day.When I first learned that I would be given the opportunity to attend Action Day I was a little nervous and intimidated as I have never been to Parliament Hill before let alone to meet and speak with politicians in their offices. Luckily, CORD partnered me up with a team of individuals who were experienced in these kinds of meetings, consisting of a patient living with a rare disorder, the parent of a patient with a rare disorder and another rare disorder organization staffer, all of whom were willing to take me under their wings and show me the ropes!

Taryn, Ken Chan, Carolyn Bennet, Jacqui Bowick-Sandor
& Kirsten Harkins (From left to right)

Our first meeting was bright and early at 9 am, with Dr. Carolyn Bennett, the MP of St. Paul's, ON. Walking into her office I was a little nervous, but also very in awe of where I was. We were greeted by Dr. Bennett's staff and two students who were shadowing the MP for the day, all of them were extremely welcoming and that put my nerves at ease. Our meeting went great! It really felt like less of a meeting then a casual conversation about rare disorders and the need for awareness and regulation in Canada. 

We had about half an hour between the end of our first and the beginning of our second meeting, giving us just enough time to get to the next building and through security with a few quick photos on The Hill in between.

Jacqui, Kirsten, Taryn, Andrew Saxton, & Ken

Our second meeting was with Andrew Saxton, the MP of North Vancouver, BC. He and his staff were very welcoming and we had a great conversation with him as well! Just before the meeting ended the bells of Parliament began to ring summoning all MP's to the house for a vote, which was a really neat experience. I swear the building came alive when this happened and you could feel a growth in energy! Thankfully we had just enough time to finish up our chat with Mr. Saxton before he was off to the house and we were off to our third meeting.

Kirsten, Ken, Tyrone Benskin, Taryn & Jacqui

Our third meeting was with Tyrone Benskin, the MP of Jeanne-Le Ber, Qc. We arrived at his office just as he was getting back from the house and he and his staff too were very welcoming. By this meeting I was feeling confident, energized and empowered.  My team even encouraged me to take the reins and lead the meeting! The meeting went great and I felt even more energized walking out of the meeting then I had going in ... if that is possible.

Kirsten, Jacqui, Lois Brown & Taryn

After a break for some lunch and a presentation we were off to our fourth and final meeting of the day with Lois Brown, the MP of Newmarket and Aurora. Mrs. Brown also happens to be my MP and we quickly realized that we had a lot in common, including being graduates of the same High School, go figure! Like all the meetings before our fourth meeting went amazing!




All in all I think the day on The Hill was a success! I got to see Parliament inside and out (ps. the buildings are stunning!), I got to meeting with some friendly politicians, but most of all I was able to generate awareness of TTP and the need for support in gazetting the Canadian Orphan Drug Regulatory Framework.

To learn more about the Canadian Orphan Drug Regulatory Framework and/or to sign the petition, Click Here.

Next year we hope more of the Foundation's active volunteers can attend. To find out more about joining the Foundation's Patient Advisory Board visit our website HERE.

Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity's 2014 Blood Drive

On February 27^th, 2014, the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (DKE) from the University of Toronto hosted a blood drive at the Canadian Blood Services clinic on College St. in Toronto, ON. The blood drive helped to raise awareness of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) and the Answering TTP Foundation. 

Mike Illiev, Jordan Sisco, Dan Gendelman, Jack Irish, Jordan Kamenetsky,
Kai Zhang, Khash Razavi & Oleg Oshchepkov (from left to right)

Though we had quite a few first time donors from the Fraternity, this was not the first blood drive held on behalf of the Foundation by the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. The Fraternity has been a dedicated supporter of the Foundation’s Partners for Life blood donation team since 2012, hosting at least one blood drive a year.  These efforts help ensure ensuring that there is more blood available to all those in need.

Dan Gendelman, Ryan Manraj, Jack Irish, Jordan Kamenetsky
& Khash Razavi (from left to right)

The blood drive ran from 12pm - 4pm, giving the Fraternity members the opportunity to stop in to the clinic between before or after classes. We were also lucky enough to have two volunteer TTP patients (Sydney and Chantel) come out to welcome the donors and share their stories of TTP and the need for blood donation.

Sydney & Chantel

A BIG thank you goes out to those who donated at the blood drive, and also to those who may not have been able to give blood themselves but still showed up to support the drive!

If you are interested in giving blood and/or hosting a blood drive in your local community, check out our Blood Donation Page for more information. Organizing a blood drive in your community can help to raise life-saving awareness for TTP and the need for blood donation!

Check out photos from the event in Our Photobook HERE.