Help Allison's Class Win the "Why My Class is Extraordinary" Contest!

Allison's 4th grade class entered a contest, "Why My Class is Extraordinary," and is in the final four out of more than 1000 entries. The winning class will be determined by on line votes and gets to go the opening of Harry Potter's Wizarding World in Orlando, Florida.

WE NEED YOUR VOTE BY 7 PM MST, WEDNESDAY MAY 19

Go to www.todayshow.com and click on the harry potter photo/link. Beckwith's 4th grade class at Bill Roberts K-8 located in the Stapleton neighborhood in Denver, Colorado needs your vote! The winner will be announced Thursday May 20th on the TODAY Show. Voting is easy. It is quick. No log in required...
1. Go to: www.todayshow.com
2. Scroll down a bit to the "special features" section
3. You will see a picture of Harry Potter with "Vote: Harry Potter Contest" written below
4. Click on this icon
5. You will see 4 screens with each class's video
6. Look for "Cheryl Beckwith's 4th-Grade, Bill Roberts School, Denver, Colorado
7. Click the bubble to the left of the screen8. Scroll down and click on "Vote"

CHECK BACK HERE FOR CONTEST RESULTS!

Push to raise $10,000 by the end of 2009!

We have a new project website:

www.stinkbugproject.org

Look at what Resort 2 Kindness is doing for Allison! Click on the Little Give

www.resort2kindness.com

Chewy's

Allison's sale at Chewy's was wildly successful. She sold at least 130 bags and netted $187. Best of all, the owners of Chewy's matched her sales and kept about 60 bags to sell! I couldn't believe how great it was. Allison is tickled. Chewy's will get to say that they helped her buy another cancer patient a dog! She also got to make friends with Chewy, who is battling cancer herself. So if you'd like some dog biscuits, stop by Chewy's in the next few days and get them before they are gone!

Dog Biscuit Sale October 31, 2009

Hello,

Allison is going to sell her dog biscuits for $1/bag (the bags have either two medium or four small biscuits) at one of our favorite pet stores:

WHERE: Chewy's Bonetique
Lowry Town Center
200 Quebec Street, building 600
Denver, CO 80230
303-344-BONE

WHEN: Saturday, October 31, 2009, 11 am - 2 pm

Directions: From Quebec Street, take 1st Avenue east to enter the Lowry Town Center. Chewy's is not actually on Quebec, but it is easy to find once you enter the town center area. It is between the Custard Shop and the Toy Store.

Once again, donations are also accepted. Checks can be made out to the Allison Winn Fund and
mailed to:

Allison Winn Fund
c/o Morgan Adams Foundation
5303 E Evans Ave. #202
Denver, CO 80222

Thank You!!

Allison's Journey

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13605816

We couldn't be more proud of the attention Allison is receiving for her project this summer. She and our babysitter, Joanna Pacheco, and Emily baked Stink Bug dog biscuits all summer and sold them in front along with lemonade and Jo's famous chocolate chip cookies. She has raised well over $1,000 and still going strong. Please stay posted here for more information on where to buy the biscuits.

Stink Bug Dog Biscuits

If you are interested in helping Allison raise money for her Stinkbug Dog Biscuits fundraiser, you can mail any contributions to:

Morgan Adams Foundation, Allison Winn Fund

The Morgan Adams Foundation

5303 E. Evans Ave., Suite 202

Denver, CO 80222
303.758.2130

303.758.2134 fax

We will post any upcoming sales on this blog, so if you'd like to buy dog biscuits you will know where to find them. Thanks for all of your help and interest!

change a child's life

ruff RUFF! Do you know what it feels like to be a kid in the hospital? Sometimes you are really lonely. But I'm trying to change that. Sometimes pets are the only things that help. I'm trying to raise $450 for a family to get a dog from the K-9 Companion Program at the Colorado State Prison by selling homemade dog biscuits. I know what it feels like to be in the hospital and let me tell you it is not a lot of fun. But these kids didn't do anything. Anyway, one kid in Children's Hospital will get a pet from the benefits of the dog biscuit sale. Please help change a child’s life!the sale is at the Stapleton town center, at the Sweet William market from 9 am to 2 pm, and is on Saturday July,25th. We'll see you then!!!

End of 2008

Hello everyone, I hope this post finds you well and that you are assessing all that has happened to you in the last year and looking forward to 2009. We are certainly in that mode right now, counting our blessings and remembering some of our recent adventures. We have had a tiring but exciting end of the year. I am pleased to say that Allison is getting better and stronger every day. We have challenges, to be sure, but we have no cancer, according to the lastest MRI on Friday Dec. 18th. We will have two more MRI's in the next six months, and then start on a scheudle of an MRI every six months. Allison is going to have one more eye surgery in January and then shouldn't need anymore corrections to her eye muscles. She has thyroid problems and growth issues, as a result of radiation and chemo, that will be ongoing issues for the rest of her life. She is thriving in school and really working hard. She loves spelling, writing, and reading, and is doing really well at everything. Her hair is growing in lush and thick and she is starting to get a bit rounder in her face and body. It is a beautiful thing to watch her recover.

Since October, we have been going full tilt, doing a number of amazing things, all while Allison is gaining back her strenth, abilities, and desire to do the things she wants to do again.

Allison auctioned one of her Stinkbug t-shirts at the Morgan Adams Concours d' Elegance, and raised over $2,000 for pediatric brain cancer research!


MAKE A WISH TRIP--DISNEY WORLD!

Minnie and Pluto show the love!

The girls rode the Woody Woodpecker roller coaster at Universal at least five times!

We stayed at a place called Give Kids the World just outside of Orlando, a place just for wish kids and families, which was a magical experience. We were one of many families fulfilling a dream to meet Minnie and Mickey and see Disney World and it was a powerful experience to be around so many kids and families with different challenges. Make A Wish is truly making a difference in the lives of these kids. I can't think of anything else, besides Sky High Hope Camp, that gave her so much to look forward to and made her feel special.

Allison dressed like Coco for Halloween!

We recovered in time to meet our newest member of the family, Lucy Isabelle Pockman, down in Albuquerque, and also spent Thankgiving in Wichita with Brian's family.

The cousins in ABQ: Ella, Emily, Allison, and Lucy

Then just before school let out we went on a trip to Playa del Carmen to relax and hang out on the beach. Allison surprised us all with a renewed appetite and awakened tastebuds. She loved anything salty or sweet and we loved watching her eat! Emily frolicked in the pool, Brian and I bodysurfed, and we all had a blast. Allison also joined in on a surprise for the parents and learned choreography to "Grease," a sweet show put on by the kids.

We'd love to hear from you....let us know how you are doing and where you'll be in the new year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Love, Dianna

July 2008 camp sky high hope

Allison shaved her dad when she came home from camp.

Update, Fall 2008

Friends and Family,

I had every intention of getting back on in July to update you, then August, and here it is almost the end of September. Life is in fast forward right now and I don't know where the free time goes, but I have only small bits to actually sit and think about a post to you all.

Summer was rejuvenating for all of us. We laid back and enjoyed the season. The week-long camp (Sky High Hope--a Ronald McDonald camp) was everything we hoped it would be. She started the camp very frail and weak and got stronger by the end of the week. When we picked her up, she looked stronger and had gained weight! She made friends, connected with adults and kids going through the same thing, and had a blast doing all of the things kids do at camp. Horse riding, fishing (she got the award for catching the largest crawdad), dances, pranks, silly songs, and making amazing friends and counselors. The camp helped her become more independent, a big step that Brian and I really wanted to push her toward but needed the help of her peers and other adults to do.

After camp, Allison rested and had an eye surgery to balance her weak and strong eye muscles that has been very successful. At the same time, she had her port removed and had the docs pierce her ears. After the surgery, her balance improved a bit and she found it easier to work on math with her tutor, Mrs. Mahlke. Then school started and Allison jumped in full throttle. She has been going all day and soaking in as much as she can of third grade. She is thriving in school and excelling in reading and writing. Math will take some work but we will get a tutor to help. Brownies, Hebrew School, art, and maybe a dance class will keep her busy. Her hair is growing in thick and lush, brown with a bit of gold, just like before. Her weight is steady and hasn't increased yet, but that will happen in time as she gets more energy and starts eating more. Emily meanwhile is keeping herself occupied with first grade but she misses being a kindergartner. Soccer, dance, reading, and goofing off are her specialities.

We have been back for an MRI, which was all clear, and are learning a bit more about what challenges we face. Her cerebellum was injured as a result of the surgery, and she will struggle with balance and coordination for the rest of her life. She will learn to compensate as she starts to get stronger. Her total treatment was 14 months, so the docs say it will take about 28 months for her to return to full energy levels. She is taking medicine for her thyroid. She will be tracked for normal growth patterns. Things will come up and we will deal with them as they come.

We added a new member to our family, Coco Pipi, an 8-month Bichon Frise, who we adopted through the prison dogs program. Colorado Correctional Industries has a training program for inmates who train rescued dogs. We just got her on Thursday and we are getting to know one another. She is adorable but still timid with us. She is more used to being with dogs than people!

We still count ourselves so blessed to have the support of such a wide circle of friends. I don't know how we would have gotten through without you!

All the best,

Dianna