Andrew and The Special Olympics

The other day Andrew went to his first Special Olympics meeting. While attending, he was able to participate in two sports. First, table tennis, and then basketball. I personally have always been a big fan of the special olympics. In my youth my father introduced my brother and I to The Special Olympics. One summer the games where hosted in my hometown, Halifax, Nova Scotia. My Father said there was something he wanted us to see and he took us to a soccer game. Many things that day amazed me, but the one thing that stood out the most was the unbelievable display of sportsmanship from all participants. If a player from one team fell down, his opponent instead of running by and scoring a goal, stopped to help him up. If a player made a bad play his team mates had nothing but encouraging words for him. It was amazing to see. The world of professional sports could surely learn a thing or two from these amazing athletes.

So needless to say when I found out that Andrew was getting involved with The Special Olympics I was happy.

I'll leave you with a quote from The Special Olympics website and their URL.

"Dignity, acceptance, and a chance to reach one's potential - these are human rights worth promoting for everyone. Since 1968, Special Olympics has been bringing one message to the world: people with intellectual disabilities can and will succeed if given the opportunity."

www.specialolympics.org

Chris Thornham

Purpose by Painting With Purpose

At Painting With Purpose we are big believers in helping people find their purpose in life. I don't know how many nights I myself have laid awake wondering what I was truly meant to do. The answer isn't always clear. However, I feel if you make a continuous effort to better yourself, your "purpose" may instead find you. Often times our passions are side tracked by the necessities of life but I encourage you to keep looking towards bettering yourself. A great friend of mine often says, "Good is the enemy of great".


Now don't get me wrong. We can't all become the president of the United States or win a Nobel Prize. Also, we are not failures if our "purpose" seems less important than that of our neighbours. But I truly believe we all have the capacity to be great at something. So be honest with yourself. Are you bettering yourself today? Would you consider yourself happy? Are you doing what you truly feel you are meant to do? If you have answered no to these questions, it may be time to make a change in your life. While the road ahead won't be easy, looking back will undoubtedly make you proud of making a change.


I'll leave you with a video of a commencement speech given to Standford University by Steve Jobs (the CEO of apple). Both Jon and I are big fans of Steve and thought this video was very fitting since we are talking about purpose.

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish (You'll understand why I said this after watching the video),

Chris Thornham

Back Home to Speak About Painting With Purpose

In the past couple weeks I was fortunate enough to be able to travel back home Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. While home I ran into an old teacher of mine who asked what I had been up to. I told her all about Painting With Purpose and she invited me in to speak to the class. I was honored. I spoke to an 11th grade english class at Prince Andrew High School. I incorporated dominion, perserverance and temptation into my own story from when I was back in junior high and made my first visit into the special education classroom, to where I am now. It was great to be able to have the opportunity to give back to the community. Ms. Abbass was a source of stregth for me during high school. Doing the right thing is not always easy. Ms. Abbass always encouraged me to make the right decisions and gave me tough answers others would not. I only hope my words delivered such a positive message to the students I met.

Jon

Article in Kamloops This Week

Mikelle Sasakamoose from Kamloops This Week, wrote a great article about Painting With Purpose. Take a minute to read below or visit their website for the article.

Thanks Mikelle,

Chris

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For kids by kids: Painting With Purpose
By Mikelle Sasakamoose - Kamloops This Week

As mechanical engineers, Jon and Chris Thornham are used to making things move.

But their latest project moves people.

The twin brothers from Dartmouth, N.S., started Painting With Purpose to raise money for charitable organizations that assist children with special needs.

Growing up in the Maritime city, Jon said he remembers being in middle school when he first met children that weren’t like the others.

“When we were younger, in middle school, we had a class in the school with special-needs children and I remember walking by there a few times the first year I was there and was curious,” Jon said.

“So we both ended up going in and then, for every lunch and recess for three years in a row, we ended up going in there and helping.”

Jon said he and his brother were drawn to the honesty and sincerity of the children in that class and found they learned more from them than they did in their regular classroom.

“It was a positive experience to be around,” he said.

“Some of the other kids at the school were always involved in bad things. There was always trouble if you went other places and I felt like if you went there you were in the right direction.”

Beyond middle school, the brothers’ compass eventually pointed to studies in engineering at the University of New Brunswick and, later, jobs in Las Vegas.

Although as young people the brothers were constantly involved with special-needs children — which they were recognized for with Youth Volunteer of the Year awards in their hometown — it was later in life they met a young friend who inspired them as adults.

Andrew is the 12-year-old son of a friend the brothers bunked with when they first moved to Sin City and their accommodations agreement fell through.

He was born with cerebral palsy and, right from the beginning, was the only one of his family who could tell the identical twins apart.

Six years later, Andrew’s like their little brother — the one who loves chicken fingers and ranch sauce, Whoopi Goldberg and, especially, painting.

In fact, it’s a red, blue, yellow and green depiction of a few of Andrew’s favourite things that has launched the Thornham brother’s latest efforts to help children with special needs.

Painting With Purpose is a philanthropic organization that offers an incentive approach to generating money for a variety of charities.

Digital copies of paintings created by children with special needs — including Andrew — are sold online, with half the proceeds going to the charity each child represents and for customer incentive, while the remaining revenue is used to fund organizational growth.

With what the brothers call “win, win, win philanthropy,” not only do they get to help raise funds for charity, but they get to continue to facilitate the program and give back to customers, too.

“Most businesses give money away as a tax write-off,” Jon said.

“For us, it’s not about that. We turn around and try and spread a good message . . . and we hope that people who win the cash prizes will use that money to come up with their own creative ways to spread their message or be involved charitably.”

Back on the topic of Andrew, Jon said since the little boy painted the website’s inaugural picture, he’s gone on to bigger and better things.

Andrew recently participated in a five-kilometre run with the brothers, one of many things — along with painting — doctors predicted he would never do when he was born.

“They said he’d only be a lump in the corner. He’d never talk, he’d never move but, with patient parents and after years of therapy, he’s amounted to what he is today,” Jon said.

“He’s a regular little boy with a few setbacks, but it doesn’t stop him and he has a great life.”

In addition to helping charities fund research to improve therapies and possibly find cures for some diseases affecting children with special needs, Jon said he and his brother hope to inspire others as Andrew has inspired them.

“Sometimes kids with special needs are looked at as though they’re always going to struggle in life,” he said.

“What we want to do is show them that even a simple painting, something they created themselves, can help spread a great message and that they can do amazing things by being involved.”

Original artwork by children with special needs in both Canada and the U.S. is accepted on an ongoing basis.

Each artist will be allowed to choose the charity that will benefit from the sales of his or her paintings.

For more information or to buy a painting, visit paintingwithpurpose.com.

Team Hoyt

As usual the holidays were busy. Jon and I had a wonderful visit from our parents over the holidays and got to spend 2 great weeks together. It's been a few weeks since we posted a blog article so we thought we'd come back with a great story.

This story is about Dick and Rick Hoyt. Rick was born as a spastic quadriplegic, cerebral palsy, non-speaking person. However, Rick's mind and person have always been strong. Doctors told Rick's parents that he should be put away and would never amount to anything. Dick (Rick's Father) had other plans. Rick's parents brought him home and treated him like their other children. Today, among many other achievements, Rick is a graduate of Boston University.

When Rick was in grade school, he heard of a running race that was acting as a fund raiser for a lacrosse player who had become paralyzed. Rick was determined to help raise money and he told his father he wanted to join the race. Dick agreed to push his son. After the race Rick told his father that when he was racing he didn't feel handicapped. That comment lite a spark inside of Dick and the couple haven't stopped since. To date Dick and Rick have competed in 984 events ranging from 5K running races to Ironman triathlons (2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running all in one day).

In short, Dick and Rick are truly incredible people. This is a story about true love and proof that ANYONE can do something if they put their mind to it. I think their story should be a lesson to us all.

Please watch the video above and visit the Team Hoyt website to learn more about Dick and Rick.

Thank you Dick and Rick for being such and incredible inspiration to all of us.

Chris Thornham

My Right Hand by Painting With Purpose

I came across an article tonight and was compelled to write this post. Mary Ann Hennosy was born with cerebral palsy in 1952. Despite Mary's serious motor skill limitations she is quite capable intellectually. She grew up in Charleston, West Virginia with her six brothers and sisters. At the age of 20, Mary's family moved to Saint Petersburg, Florida where the flat terrain made getting around much easier for her. In 1977 Mary met artist Betty Blue who took an interest in Mary. What happened next was quite remarkable. With Betty's encouragement and guidance, she created a system of sandbags and pulleys to steady the movement of Mary's hands. Betty also taught Mary the basics of color mixing and painting technique. Soon after Mary's gift flourished and her paintings began winning blue ribbons at art shows.

Today Mary has a career as an artist and her paintings can be purchased from her site, My Right Hand. Betty used her creativity and innovation to give a life long gift to Mary. This is a shinning example of our mission statement. Well done and all the best to Mary and Betty!

By Jon Thornham

Painting With Purpose is Business of the Month at Costco

Painting With Purpose was selected as Costco's Business of the Month at the Summerlin location for the month of December. The next time you are in Costco check out our display. You can find us behind the cash registers at 801 S. Pavilion Center Drive Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jon Thornham

A True Champion, by Painting With Purpose

I heard recently of a man named D.J. Gregory. D.J. is helping raise money for United CP, the same charity we (Painting With Purpose) are raising funds for in Round 1. Please take a minute to watch the video, read the story, visit our store and buy a painting to help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 for cerebral palsy. You might even win $25,000.



D.J. was born with cerebral palsy and was told by doctors he would never walk. D.J.'s plan was different. It seems if you tell D.J. he can't do something, he will find a way and show you that he can. That's what happened this year on the 2008 PGA Tour.

D.J. has had a profound love for golf since childhood. When other sports were not possible for D.J. to partake in, D.J. taught himself to play golf one handed. At 12 his father took him to his first tournament in North Carolina where he met sports announcer Jim Nantz. Jim has been a life long friend and a key factor in this years event.

D.J. creatively came up with a way to be involved with the sport he loves. His idea, walk every hole, of every round, of every tournament in the 2008 PGA Tour, and follow a new golfer each week. His work as a reporter would then be entered on a blog on PGAtour.com. D.J. put together a sample package of his work, which Jim Nantz hand delivered it to the PGA commissioner. Well the commissioner loved the idea and D.J. set out on his journey.

After 45 weeks, 44 tournament, 3256 holes and 988 miles D.J. completed his journey in Orlando. D.J. had his struggles along the way. CP has caused his toes to overlap so the friction from all the walking created blisters. Instead of stopping or hitching a ride in a cart, he put on 8 band-aids a day to ease the pain. None of the golfers on the tour walk every hole. I myself know from personal experience that walking one round of golf can be a challenge. D.J. however never gave up.

D.J.'s journey ties in close to our mission at Painting With Purpose. D.J. came up with a creative way to spread a positive message. I can't speak for what D.J. feels his purpose in life is, but I feel part of it is what he accomplished this year on the PGA Tour. Watching the interviews and reading how D.J. was named person of the week at abcnews.go.com, you quickly learn that the golfers he followed have a greater appreciation for life. Instead of complaining about a certain round of golf, they are grateful to be out playing the game they love. Thank you D.J., I am sure your creativity has effected many more lives than the 44 golfers you followed.

Jon Thonrham

Painting With Purpose, Charity's Saving Grace.

The following is a press released submitted today.

The gloves are off and the bell has rung. The recession is here and it’s delivering blows across the nation. Families, corporations, government and sadly enough, even nonprofit organizations are feeling the effects. Painting With Purpose plans to make a difference by helping the nonprofit organizations fight back.

Founders Chris and Jon Thornham have created Painting With Purpose as an affordable and innovative approach to charity. They also plan to stimulate the economy by awarding cash prizes of up to $1,000,000. Painting With Purpose sells $3 digital copies of paintings created by children with special needs, donates 50% of the gross proceeds to charity, and awards prize money to their customers. Every 1,000th purchase is a winner and the prizes range in value from $5 to $1,000,000.

The digital paintings, similar to the Lance Armstrong bracelet, are a symbol of involvement. Every time a painting is purchased, customers are entered to win and the digital painting is emailed to their inbox. Painting With Purpose encourages their customers to be creative and show their paintings off however they like.

Painting With Purpose has also created a feature called AutoPay. AutoPay makes giving and winning affordable for everyone interested in continued involvement. Starting at $3 per year, customers choose how many digital paintings they would like to purchase, and how often they would like to purchase them. After that, AutoPay automatically emails your paintings to your inbox.

To learn more about Painting With Purpose or to become involved, visit their website at www.paintingwithpurpose.com.

Hypothermia Treatment for Cerebral Palsy

One focus of this blog will be to discuss the special needs and disabilities we are raising money for. The goal is to raise awareness of possible treatments, therapies, surgeries etc. In no way do we recommend any of these treatments without first consulting with a doctor. Please feel free to send comments about these discussions.

Today I want to talk about hypothermia treatment, which is a relatively new treatment for cerebral palsy (CP). The treatment window is very limited and research shows it must be initiated within six hours of birth. The cause of CP is still debated, however one of the major contributing factors is hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), or loss of oxygen at birth. HIE is commonly referred to as asphyxia. According to Anne Hansen, MD, MPH, medical director of the NICU, and Janet Soul, MD, CM, associate director of the Neonatal Neurology Program at Children's Hospital Boston, HIE occurs in two stages. The first is before the birth where the brain has a lack of oxygen due to inadequate blood flow, and the second is after birth when there is secondary energy failure. This means that the brain cells are depleted of energy during asphyxia due to a lack of oxygen and glucose. When the brain is injured from asphyxia or trauma the brain will continue to damage itself for a period of time after the injury. This is caused by metabolic processes of the brain. When the newborn is exposed to hypothermia treatment the the brain requires less energy. When there is less energy required for brain function, the brain incurs less damage. Basically if you slow the brain down you prevent it from further damaging itself.

Children's Hospital Boston has performed hypothermia treatment on three newborns who showed signs of asphyxia. The newborns were placed on cooling blankets for 72 hours and then slowly warmed to normal body temperature. Two of the newborns showed normal MRI's after the treatment and the third had a tiny spot on the brain which most likely will have no effect on brain function.

There is some controversy over this treatment but I commend Anne and Janet for their pioneering work in this field. Their new and innovative method shows very positive results in their early trials. Congrats!

For more information and to read the articles I gathered information from, follow these links:
http://www.childrenshospital.org/views/feb08/new_induced_hypothermia.html
http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/releases/200811135/
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/336/8/540

Jon Thornham

Painting With Purpose in 2 Minutes

Painting With Purpose is a brand new idea. People have been having a bit of a hard time understanding exactly what it is that we do. To help make things a little clearer we have summed things up in a 2 minute video. Take a minute to watch it. Let us know if you have any questions by writing a comment.

Andrew's First 5K Part 2

Left to Right, Dr. Savatgy, Chris, Jon and Andrew

Andrew's first 5K was a smashing success. The weather was great and a big crowd showed up for the race. Andrew had lots to say on race morning, but three things kept coming up over and over again. "This is SO AWESOME!", "This is SO COOL!" and "WHOOOOOOOOOHOOOOO" were definitely his favorite things to say. Take a look at the video below.

Chris Thornham

www.paintingwithpurpose.com

Andrew's First 5K

Painting With Purpose Featured on Philly Burbs Website

A day after launching Painting With Purpose we woke up to a wonderful surprise. When doing a Google search on Painting With Purpose, we noticed a new link pop up. After clicking on the link we were taken to Philly Burbs website. Jen W. wrote a wonderful article about Painting With Purpose. Please take a minute to check it out. Make sure you "Digg" us or "Yahoo Buzz" us. A big thanks to Philly Burbs!

Here is the link to the article http://guides.phillyburbs.com/index.php?p=36316&cat=5

Chris Thornham

Andrew's First 5K

The other day while visiting Andrew and his family, I mentioned that Jon and I were running an upcoming 5K named "The Turkey Trot".  For those of you who aren't sure what a 5K is, it's a 5 kilometer or 3.1 mile running race.

I asked Andrew if he would like to run the 5K.  His response was "Chrisy, I can't".  Yes, Andrew has nicknamed me Chrisy.  I know I know, but it's cute when he says it.  Anyway, back to the point.  After hearing Andrew say he couldn't run the 5K, I really started thinking.  He might not be able to "run" the 5K, but with a little help he would be able to complete it.  I asked Andrew if he would like a free ride in his wheel chair.  The smile on his face said it all.  So this weekend Andrew and I will be completing his first 5K together.

Jon (aka the running camera man) will be sprinting back and forth to capture the event.  Be sure to check back next week for a race recap and to watch a video of the event.

Chris Thornham

Painting With Purpose Officially Launches

Painting With Purpose is pleased to announce the launch of our site.  For the past 18 months we have been working away to offer a new and innovative approach to philanthropy called, Win Win Win Philanthropy.  Please visit our site to help Andrew and Painting With Purpose achieve our first goal of raising $150,000 for cerebral palsy, and you could win up to $25,000.  You can also visit our MySpace, FaceBook and YouTube pages.  Below are two of Andrew's videos for you to watch.  The first video is all about Andrew, and in the second video, Andrew talks all about his favorite celebrity Whoopi Goldberg.  For all of Andrew's videos, or to learn about our other Painting With Purpose Kids, please visit our Meet the Kids page.

About Andrew


Andrew and Whoopi Goldberg