MACNA vendor giving BIG to Des Moines school, need input

Here is an exerpt from a thread started on R2R.  Here is a link to the whole thread.  This is the type of thing that MACNA will bring to the area.
What we're doing for Macna 2011Since this is pretty much a done deal so we are going to start talking about it.
I don't know how many of you know much about our personal story.....but it is a good one. I met my wife in the summer of 2000. She was a foster mom for two special needs kids. A month before we met she had adopted both Josh and Megan on her own. I was already pretty emerged in the reef hobby. She had a 20 gallon fresh water aquarium. At the adoption party I purchased a 55 gallon saltwater system for her and she was hooked. The saltwater hobby has always been a big part of our lives. And in December 2001 I made her marry me. We seriously had a two week engagement. Shortly after that I adopted Josh and Megan.
Josh is my oldest. He just turned 18 and voted for the first time this week. Josh was born with CP, Schizophrenia, mild retardation, ADD, reactive attatchment disorder,sensory integration disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, hearing loss, scoliosis and born at 26 weeks premature with a hole in his heart. Before my wife got him he was a shell of a kid. His parents were both mentally challenged and could not care for him. He use to have to find food by digging in the couch cushions and scavaging for table scraps. Josh was never suppose to walk, talk or even be able to bathe himself or go to the bathroom without assistance. Through years of hard work and multiple painful surgeries he is now a high school senior that has a job and one day plans on being my boss. He truly is a miracle. He is still battling issues. He functions on a seven year old level. He is a smart kid and a history buff with a memory like a steel trap. But he can run, shower himself, go to the bathroom on his own and actually has a job. I could go on and on but you get the point. My wife and I feel truly blessed to be able to help Josh get to this point. Josh also is a big part of The Alternative Reef. He helps unload some of the kilns and also bags some of the products we make. He takes pride in what he does and it is very hard work for him. He knows that there are no free hand outs and we all have to play a part to be a success.
Megan is 15. Her story is alittle more personal and I can not go into a lot of details. She has Bi-Polar, Epilepsy, RAD, ADHD, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder, Autistism and a lot more. She lacked motor skills and came from a neglected home. Megan also functions on about an 8 year old level. There is a lot more but we can not talk about it right now. I think you get the idea. Megan is a great kid but we are still dealing with a lot of issues. Her big sister recently came into our lives and has helped out a lot. She is pretty much like a daughter to us now and has been a good influence on Megan. Megan became an aunt a few months ago and is in heaven. She loves babies and is very good with him. Megan also helps out with the business. She bags up all the free samples everyone enjoys when I go to shows. Thats her job and no one dares try to do it for her.
My wife has all kinds of health issues and seems to need a surgery every other year. Most people that see our lives first hand can not believe how we juggle things. There are days where we don't even say ten words to each other because we are both running in a hundred different directions.
I am not gonna lie and say our lives have been peaches and creme but we seem to thrive on the chaos. My wife is always running kids to appointments and therapy sessions. On top of that we had a failed business attempt(gooch's corals) and have almost thrown in the towel multiple times on the business and the marriage but we always seem to get through it. I work two full time jobs and it seems like my mind never stops running. I developed sleep issues and now need to have a cpap machine just to help me sleep. Without it I would probably have died by now. Thankfully my crew is pretty self sufficient now so I just have to make out a job list and they get it done. I find myself only getting limited shop time now that the business is where it is. Some day I hope The Alternative Reef is all I do. But a lot has to happen. So for now we do the best we can and we get by. My wife has a strong faith and I just believe that if you do the right thing good things will happen. We see it every day with our two kids and extended family.
Macna 2011 is inthe midwest this year. We're stoked at the fact it is so close. Kris and I did some talking and we decided we wanted to do something special and give a little back. We feel fortunate to have the lives we have and the business and family wanted to do something special. When I had Gooch's Corals one of the things we tried to do was do things for the kids. I set up a small aquarium in the special needs classroom at my kids school and also did a touch tank at the childrens museum one day. It wa s alot of fun. It got me to thinking. And that always gets me in trouble.
Anyhow I don't want to make this story any longer than it already is so here goes.
The Alternative Reef with help from Reefs Aquatics will be donating a fully equiped and stocked 93 gallon Marineland cube tank to a special needs classroom in one of the schools in the Des Moines area. We are letting the Des Moines club choose the school. One of the conditions was that someone commited to caring for this tank. We were told this should not be a problem. The tank will arrive in a week or so. Reefs Aquatics will display the system and maintain it up until Macna. This aquarium will be as self sufficieant as I can afford to make it. And as state of the art as I can afford as well. We are going to plumb this tank directly into Reefs main coral system. When Macna happens we will be taking the livestock and structure out of the aquarium at Reefs and put it into a brand new tank at Macna. All the equipment will be brand new. So that means I am purchasing double of everything. Reefs Aquatics will be donating all the livestock for this aquarium. Peter and Chris are two of the best guys around and they have big hearts. I wouldn't be able to do this without them helping out. Once the tank is up and running we will be taking photos every two weeks so everyone can see the progression. We are hoping that by pruning the livestock that is growing in the tank the caretaker will be able to fund this tank for years to come.
I also have something else planned but I have to wait until about a week before the show before I announce it. My wife and kids as well as myself are very happy to be able to do something like this for other special needs kids in another part of the country. Your support also makes this happen. Right now it will be a one time deal but we will see how it goes. Macna only comes this close to use once every decade or so. I am very excited to be able to do this

 

http://www.reef2reef.com/forums/alternative-reef/50203-what-were-doing-macna-2011-a.html

What we need is to find a special needs classroom in Des Moines that would want this tank, and a committment from the Des Moines group to take care of it.

 

I will take responsibility here and make sure it gets taken care of. This is a very generous offer they have made!

 

Thanks

Now we need to find a class for it!

 

I can try to do some looking. Kirk might know of a good one in the school district.

 

Awesome!!

 

This is awesome and is also the kind of thing that we should be promoting big time. I don't know how we are going to proceed with this, but we need to let the Des Moines media know what's happening so they can get involved.

 

smouse elementary at 2820 center st in Des Moines is a special needs school phone# 515/242/8210 i dont no anyone that works there now but aunt worked there for ten years as far as i no its the only one

 

Either Smouse or Ruby Van Meter at 710 28th st is a special needs school. My nephew who has Autism went there years ago. Both schools are a within a few blocks of my house and I can give a day or 2 a week to taking care of it. I can even donate reef crystals or what-ever else may be needed to it. Just let me know. I also have a contact at KCCI if it is ok with you guys I can call her and see if they are interested.

 

I discussed it with my better half and we would be willing to buy the food and a few other things for it on an ongoing basis.

 

Hey JB
Can you talk with your father in law & see what he would recomend for the best publicity for this?

 

I will help out anyway that I can with this project. Just let me know details like when and where I will help set up ect.

 

I could but I know exactly what he'll say...   This is the perfect situation for a press release.   This is the exact type of thing that the local press should eat up...

 

A press release needs to be created and sent to EVERY TV/Radio station and Newspaper in Iowa. Preferably before MACNA so you can showcase the gift and the event at the same time. People would love it more if that tank would be in the classroom before MACNA, but another option would be getting students from the winning class infront of a local reef tank as an example of what they won. This is great exposure for the club and an amazing gift to children that would truely enjoy it and benefit from it.

 

Forgive me for my ignorance, but how do you do a press release?