Damian's World of Difference progress comes to an end...

Well, my progress through the ranks of the Vodafone World of Difference for 2010 has ended in the top 25. I didn't get shortlisted to the top 10, however there were over 500 applications, so just being in the top 25 and spreading the word about Camp Quality was a great achievement.

Apparently, the top 10 applications had some very exciting and unique things that they wanted to do - I suspect my application was just a bit too general. I wish the top 10 all the best, and hope the top 5 go on to make a World of Difference for their chosen charities.

Thanks to everyone for their support - it was fun while it lasted. Here's my final video for the Vodafone World of Difference 2010.

Top 25 here I come!!!

I received a call today from Demelza from the Vodafone Foundation Australia. We had a good chat about my application, what I do with Camp Quality already etc, and at the end of the conversation, she advised me that I had made it into the top 25 shortlist...

WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Apparently my video was a big hit in the office, giving them all a good laugh - which is the best medicine as we all know!!

Where to from here? Well... the top 25's written application, 2 page professional CV and video are submitted to the selection panel, who over the next couple of days will select the top 10 applicants, who will then be invited to come for an interview in the next week or so - in Sydney!!

I will be meeting with Brooke (Camp Quality South Queensland Area Manager) on Friday to discuss a whole bunch of things, and prepare for if I get the call-up into the top 10...

Fingers crossed!!

ps: Forgot to mention, my Youtube video has now had over 1100 views!!!!!

Starburst Camp Quality Colour Fight

With my own video about to pass the 1000 mark (quick gloat), I thought I would share with you a fabulous video from Starburst, who have donated the colour from their packets (plus $100000) to Camp Quality.

The ad features campers from down south, and would have been an absolute blast to make... so if you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend giving it a look-see!

Breaking news - I've made the top 50!!

This afternoon I received an email advising that I've been shortlisted into the top 50 applicants!!

Next step - submit my contact details and a 2 page CV, and hopefully make the top 25!!

Wish me luck!!

Video views pass the 900 mark and still growing!!

It's nice to know that even though applications have closed, my video is still receiving views on youtube... in the past few days, another 150 or so views have been made, taking the total past 900!!

I wonder if it will reach 1000 views, because that would be fabulous!

To kick it along, here's the video again!!


By the way, I will be swinging by the Camp Quality South Qld office today if anyone wants to catch up with me... probably around mid morning!

Applications close, and video views pass 750!!

Well, the application submission deadline has now passed, and the good people at the Vodafone Foundation Australia are no doubt reviewing submissions and putting together the shortlist of 10 applicants to be interviewed. I will find out if I am one of the lucky ones by next Friday (26/2/2010).

To say that I have been overwhelmed by the response to my video seems to be a gross understatement - I have received views from around the world, and comments via Facebook and email from campers, other companions, Camp Quality families, friends, relatives and total strangers, and I have been gobsmacked by the depth of emotion and the outpouring of support that I have received. Some of the comments have genuinely brought a tear to my eye - little did I know just how well loved and appreciated I am, and just what a world of difference I already bring to so many people through Camp Quality.

It sounds a little trite, but even if I don't get shortlisted, I know that I am already making a World of Difference for Camp Quality, and I will continue to do so in the future!

Video views reach 500!!!

Wow, what an incredible response I've had for my Vodafone World of Difference application video. I thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to view my video, vote on it, leave a comment, and especially those of you who have sent me messages of support - I feel humbled and amazed at the response!! My video is now the 13th most viewed video in Australia (in the Non-Profit category) for the past week! Incredible!!

In case you have been living under a rock and have no idea what I am referring to, here's a link to my video! Vodafone World of Difference 2010 - Damian's doing it for Camp Quality

In other news, Carmen, one of our Camp Quality parents has asked me to share her son Calen's journey with you. Calen has defied the odds, and is proof of the power of optimism and positive thinking. You can see Calen's story here: Calen's Journey

Applications close this week, so I'll keep you posted!

Youtube Video Statistics

Something that I didn't realise existed until now was the ability to check out how your youtube video is progressing...

This image shows the stats as at around 10pm on Friday 12/2/2010 - just over 7 days since uploading it.



As you can see, there are plenty of views from Australia, but the diversity of countries where there have been *some* views is simply astounding! Also interesting is the list of "honors" (US spelling of course) - the 20th most viewed video in Australia for the Non-Profits and Activism category on youtube!! Woohoo!!

The power of the interwebs!!

Why we do what we do...

I've been getting some awesome comments on my youtube video - thanks very much to all those who have taken the time to watch my video, and especially those who have left their kind words.

Two of the comments are from the Brown family, who used to be a Camp Quality family (their son Cam has now turned 18, so is no longer eligible for Camp Quality), and they have given their permission for Cam's stem cell transplant video to be linked to... so check it out if you want to see the true definition of bravery, strength and optimism!



And for those who are wondering, yes Cam is doing well, and his hair is currently almost as long as mine is!!

Camp Quality Leader's Gee-Up

The annual Camp Quality (South Queensland) Leader's Gee-Up was held today. This is the day that the leadership team gets together to go over any changes in policy and procedures, catch up with each other and have a whole heap of fun!

I was given the opportunity to give an update to the rest of the leadership team on Booger Mobile (http://boogermobile.blogspot.com) and also fill them in on my Vodafone World of Difference application. My video submission was also shown, which was warmly received!

After the necessary discussions etc had taken place (you know, the boring but necessary stuff that goes on in the background of all organisations), the leadership team headed off to Auchenflower for some fun therapy - playing croquet!!

Turns out that I'm not too bad at it, although I suspect it's a little like golf - you hit a few good shots and remember those, but ignore the dodgy shots in between!!

I am buoyed by the support I am receiving from my friends and family, campers and companions (and the staff) from Camp Quality, and am holding my breath while waiting for the shortlisting to occur...

Perhaps I should breathe normally instead? :-D

Application Submitted!!

Well, today I submitted my application for the 2010 Vodafone World of Difference...

I won't bore you all with the specifics of my application, but needless to say I spent a fair amount of time writing, reviewing and changing my application, only to have the Vodafone WOD website mangle some of the characters when I submitted it!! I suspect it was because I copied and pasted out of Microsoft Word, which has a nasty tendency to replace standard characters (such as - and "") with special characters.

The other strange thing that happened is that my application details were emailed to me twice, about twenty minutes apart - I hope this doesn't mean that for some reason the website submitted my application twice... not much I can do about it now though!!

I reformatted my submission to fix up the mangled characters and forwarded it via email to the Vodafone Foundation. I'm sure they will understand that there were a few technical hitches and that I wasn't simply submitting my application in the Irish style - you know, to be sure, to be sure, to be sure!!

As an added bonus, here's my youtube video supporting my application!! Feel free to share this video with everyone you know - let's get the word out there about my World of Difference application, and spread the word about Camp Quality!!

A few video facts... the song portion was done in a single take. The overlaying of the photos onto the song portion took 13 hours. The speaking portion was done in a single take, then after review it was decided to replace it with the portion you now see in the video, which took three takes to get right!! The photos are from some of the camps I have attended over the past few years.

Hope you all enjoy my video as much as I did making it!

Damian's World of Difference

My name is Damian Sheather, and I want to make a
World of Difference for Camp Quality.

I am in my 7th year of volunteering with Camp Quality, bringing fun and laughter to children living with cancer and their families. During this time, I have been to something like 26 camps, ranging from 3 to 7 days in length. I am have also been up to the Royal Childrens Hospital in Brisbane numerous times as "Deano", one of the McDonald's Camp Quality puppets, each time running amok and attempting to scare the nurses (some of them are quite puppet-phobic - it's hilarious!!). I am part of the Camp Quality leadership team, companion, camp leader and fundraiser. I am building a car called Booger Mobile to take part in this year's Camp Quality esCarpade. I am also the MC of the Camp Quality Christmas party.

I do all this, but I want to do more!!

What stops me from doing more is the fact that I also have a family of my own, a mortgage and bills to pay. When I heard about the Vodafone World of Difference, I thought to myself "Self, this is a great opportunity to do more for Camp Quality, while at the same time still being able to put food on the table for my family!!"

Come on Vodafone - help me make a World of Difference for Camp Quality!