WOW!

I left for Tanzania on Monday night. I have missed out on a lot of Canucks related stories! We arrived in Dar Es Salaam on Wednesday morning, the Canucks game was just going into over time when we touched down. We were sitting in traffic on a dirt road when someone got a text that said Burrows scored in over time. I yelled and screamed and very appropriately saw some goats on the side of the road (amongst other animals). Even though round 2 has already started I am still just so happy that the Canucks beat Chicago. Scoring in over time never gets old. Kind of like buying a goat. It is great to see the goat-o-meter rising! If you’re like me, you were a little shaken up after the game 6 loss to Chicago. Now that the Canucks have moved on past the Hawks it’s time to get into the full swing of goat buying.

Someone emailed and asked what’s so good about a goat. A reasonable question. On top of being beautiful animals, goats can provide milk to families who receive one. Also, not only do goats and playoff goatees, like the one Dan Hamhuis has, go well together, but a goat can be a life-changing addition to a family in need. Goats are great animals for poor farmers. They’re easy to care for and will eat almost anything. They can be kept in a small yard, and are strong and hardy. In addition, goats breed after just a few years, providing additional goats for the family and community.
Goats also provide the family with a number of benefits. Baby and adult goats can be sold for income, the meat can be eaten, and the milk can be a nutritious source of calcium and protein for the family. The bottom line is: Goats are great.

One Win Away…

After beating the Blackhawks in game 3 on Sunday night, the Canucks need just one more win to move on to the next round! I was confident at the beginning of the playoffs that the Canucks would not lose a single game in the playoffs so it’s nice to see that things are going according to plan so far. To make things even better my beard is coming in just great! It’s not quite on the level as some goats I’ve seen with beards, or “tassels” as we call them in the goat world, but I’m quite proud.

This morning the News 1130 website put up a story about Goat Canucks Goat. Let’s get some goats!!

http://www.goatcanucksgoat.com/

“Goat Canucks Goat” is back

As the Vancouver Canucks continue on their playoff run, you can also donate to a worthy cause

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Once again this year, you can not only support the Vancouver Canucks by watching their games, but you can also do something good for someone less fortunate.

“Goat Canucks Goat” is back after becoming a Vancouver tradition.

The group started by Joel Nagtegaal several years ago is up and running again as the team makes their playoff run.

He says they hope to “campaign to encourage people to buy one goat for every Canucks victory in the playoffs, or for, if you can’t afford it for each victory… for each round that the Canucks win in the playoffs.”

So far, they have enough for 14 goats at $35.00 each.

He wasn’t even going to get it going this year, but after nearly two dozen emails, he thought he’d put the site up once again.

And all the goats are bought locally. In the last several years, two thousand goats have been bought and donated to needy families in Kenya.

Game 3 tonight!

The Canucks lead the series 2-0 and are looking to take a stranglehold tonight in Chicago. The punks drops at 5:00pm PST. The last few minutes of game 2 were a little nerve racking but I’m happy the Canucks were able to hold on for the victory.

Perhaps even more exciting news is the fact that my beard is finally showing signs of life! After a challenging first week I am happy to report that I counted 8 more beard hairs that weren’t there last year. This brings the total to 62 strands of facial hair. It can be tiring trying to grow a beard, study for exams and cheer on the Canucks all at once but so far I have been up for the challenge.

Goat Canucks Goat!

Canucks Win Game 1!!

The Vancouver Canucks won game 1 of the best of seven series tonight by a score of 2-0! Hansen and Higgins scored the goals for the Canucks and Looouuuuuuuongo had the shutout! The first Canucks victory of the playoffs = time to get your first goat! The price for a goat is $35. Trust me, it’s a great deal for a goat. Game 2 is Friday night at 7:00PST. GOAT CANUCKS GOAT!

Getting The Ball Rolling!

Game 1 is tonight at 7:00pm PST! I took the day off school to mentally prepare and get in the zone. Hopefully it pays off. My beard is still struggling to grow but I remain confident it will appear a little fuller given a bit more time.

Meanwhile, a teacher in Toronto, Ontario sent me this great email to inspire us to get things going! The playoffs haven’t even officially started yet and we can already see the goat-o-meter starting to rise! Good job, Montcrest School!!

Hello,

My name is Jennifer Bairos and I teach grade 7 history at Montcrest School
in Toronto, Ontario. A few weeks ago my grade 7s were studying the concept
of cause and consequence using resources from the Critical Thinking
Consortium. One of the resources we used to discuss intended and
unintended consequences was an article about Joel Nagtegaal and the Goats
Canucks Goats Campaign.
My grade 7s found this campaign to be very interesting, and they
immediately wanted to get involved. Initially their idea was to each bring
in two dollars so the class could buy a goat. After more discussion, they
decided they wanted the whole school to be involved in this initiative, so
the decision was made that on Friday April 8th the school would have a
grub clothes day (we are a school with uniforms) and all of the money
raised would be donated to buy goats in Kenya. A few students did a short
presentation on this campaign at an assembly and we raised about 300$ with
our grub day.
I’ve gone online and purchased 9 goats with the CRWRC on behaf of my grade
7 students and all of Montcrest School.

Thank you for inspiring my students! It was so wonderful to watch them
talk about this with the rest of the school.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Bairos

Jennifer Bairos
French and Social Studies Teacher
Montcrest School

We’re ba-a-a-a-ack! (it’s a pun)

Hello hockey fans and goat fans,

It’s that time of year again. The 2011 NHL playoffs are starting this Wednesday and the Vancouver Canucks are set to make a long run. The team finished the regular season in first place in the entire NHL with 117 points and won their first President’s Trophy in franchise history. While these regular season accolades are great, the team will ultimately be judged by what they do in the playoffs. In preparation for the playoffs I started growing my playoff beard last week. I’m sad to report that my facial hair growing ability has not improved since last years playoffs. In fact I think my beard is coming in even more patchy this time. C’mon, beard! Grow already!

The fresh goat-o-meter has been set up and we’re hoping to get more goats than ever this year. I would also like to welcome those of you who cheer for the Leafs, Flames or any other non-playoff team. There is always room on the bandwagon for more.

I will be providing regular updates this year. I am leaving for Tanzania in 2 weeks and will be there for the remainder of the playoffs. So if (when) the Canucks finally win the Stanley Cup I will be celebrating in Tanzania with some goats.

Here is the schedule for the first round of the playoffs (all times are Pacific time):

• GAME 1: @Vancouver, Wed. 4/13, 7:00 p.m.
• GAME 2: @Vancouver, Fri. 4/15, 7:00 p.m.
• GAME 3: @Chicago, Sun. 4/17, 5:00 p.m.
• GAME 4: @Chicago, Tues. 4/19, 5:00 p.m.
• GAME 5*: @Vancouver, Thurs. 4/21, 7 p.m.
• GAME 6*: @Chicago, Sun. 4/24, 4:30 p.m.
• GAME 7*: @Vancouver, Tues. 4/26, TBD

For those of you who are just hearing about Goat Canucks Goat, here is a little back ground information:

With the Vancouver Canucks set to make a deep run into the play offs, we are looking for something that will help drum up support in areas of the world where they play hockey with one piece sticks that are literally just sticks… and use empty turtle shells as pucks. Well… probably. Anyways, since it is tradition that during the play offs we grow a play off beard or a goatee, the goal is to buy a goat for a family living in poverty for every Canucks win. That’s 4 goats per round x 4 rounds = 16 goats. Each goat is $35 for a total of $560. A small price to pay for winning the Cup. The more people that get in on this, the cheaper it will be. Also, if Vancovuer wins the cup we are buying someone an elephant… Wait, I think it might be illegal to buy an elephant. If you don’t have money, or facial hair, that’s okay. Then just join the group for fun and support. James Wasmuth has volunteered to buy the first goat. Way to go James.

About the goats…

When disasters or conflicts occur, families are often forced to flee, leaving everything. Sometimes they live in camps for years. Once their land is safe again, CRWRC helps the family to return. Unfortunately, all too often the conflict or disaster that destroyed a family’s possessions also destroyed their livelihood. One of the most precious commodities can be livestock. Provide a goat to help a family resettle in their land; give them a head start in rebuilding their lives.

Become a Goat Canucks Goat fan on facebook and follow us on Twitter for regular updates.

Round 2!

Sorry to all those who have come to the website expecting a regular update. The first round of the playoffs always coincides with the the exam/final paper time of the semester. It’s no wonder my grades tail off dramatically at the end of the semester. Also, between the goats last year and the goats during the Olympics I thought people may be a little “goated out,” so we decided to keep things pretty low key this time around. Thanks to everyone who has already purchased their goat! A new goat-o-meter will be up soon!

Here is the schedule for round 2:

It’s Goat time.

First of all, thanks to everyone who purchased an Olympic goat! Your efforts resulted in another 368 goats going to people who need them. Weren’t the Olympics awesome?! I sent an email to the IOC asking them to have the Olympics in Vancouver every time. It’s weird, but I still have not heard back from them. I’ll keep you posted.

Well, it’s that time of year again! The NHL playoffs get underway tomorrow! I know I said it last year… and the year before… and the year before, but THIS is the Canucks year! I can feel it. The Canucks first round match up is against the LA Kings. It’s a great matchup for Vancouver as they will not have to leave the time zone when playing in LA. This will leave them feeling very fresh when it comes time to play in the finals.

The Canucks first game is Thursday at 7:00pm PST. Be sure to get your goat if we win. Here is the rest of the first round schedule.

		#3 vs. #6	Network
Thursday, April 15		at Vancouver, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, VERSUS
Saturday, April 17		at Vancouver, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, VERSUS
Monday, April 19		at Los Angeles, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, VERSUS
Wednesday, April 21		at Los Angeles, 7:00 p.m.	CBC, VERSUS
*Friday, April 23		at Vancouver, 7:00 p.m.	CBC
*Sunday, April 25		at Los Angeles, TBD	CBC, VERSUS
*Tuesday, April 27		at Vancouver, TBD	CBC

All times are PST.

GOAT CANUCKS GOAT

Goat Party!

Due to the lack of hockey being played over the past couple months, I have not updated the website. On July 21-23 in a village in Kenya, a bunch of people gave me a reason to post an update! The goats from Goat Canucks Goat were distributed in Kenya on July 21-23. I think the brown one with the white spots is one that I got. It looks tough. Like me.

It is amazing to see the pictures and the smiles on the people’s faces because of the goats.

I hope these pictures make you smile.

The Goat Process

First of all: 900 goats! $22,500 worth of goats. It is not too late to get your goat. It is hard to believe that it has already been 13 days, 19 hours and 38 minutes since the final buzzer went to end the Canucks season. But who’s counting? It’s just a game, right? The important thing is that everybody had fun. NOTE: Please excuse the fact that there will some typo’s in this post as a few of the letters on the keyboard are missing after my keyboard swinging incident that occured after the Canucks lost game 6. Anyways, the fact is that so many of you are still buying goats! I love it. As I mentioned earlier, it makes the Canucks loss a LITTLE easier to take when I wake up each morning and see the goat-o-meter on the rise.

I have received some emails and comments from people who are curious as to how exactly the goat process works. I would like to do my best and summarize what happens after you click “purchase.”

Upon finding out that you can donate a goat for just $25, the first thing you might wonder is, “I’m no goat expert, but is $25 the going rate for a goat these days?” Well, after browsing Craigslist to see how much I could buy a goat for here in Vancouver, I found that prices ranged from $50 – $400 for a goat. The $400 goat must be the Ferrari of goats and come fully loaded. 2 horns, rear tail, 4 legs and all the other features. Maybe it’s even potty trained? Anyways, the Goat Canucks Goat goats are purchased through the organization CRWRC. Judging by local goat prices, you will be happy to know that the goats are not purchased here and then shipped to Africa. Could you imagine the cost of stamps and shipping it would take to send a live goat to Africa? The goats are purchased in Africa, for Africa and are purchased as locally as possible. This way the money goes back into the local economy of a developing country. This also ensures that the breed of goat is well suited to the specific environment where it will live. The $25 also goes to having the goats vaccinated.  Usually people from the CRWRC train people in the needy communities to help with the vaccination process.  This equips them to do goat vaccination of goat offspring, etc. in the future. Local people are also trained to administer the program.  They help with the goat distribution and coordinate things like rotating male goats around for breeding, and facilitating the “pay back” program where people give a baby goat to another family in need. This, again, builds up local leadership and equips the program to continue after the CRWRC has gone. There is a careful selection process that helps determine who receives the goats.  The local community helps to identify the families most in need.  Those families must agree to build a shelter for their goat and attend training in animal care.  They also agree to abide by they “pay back” structure.  After that, they can receive a goat.

I hope this helps to clarify the process and answer any questions people had. After reading this information I also hope it is clear how solid the program is. There is much more to it then just handing needy people a goat and letting them figure out the rest. The way the program is run makes for a very sustainable and beneficial goat for those who need it. The “pay back” program is a very cool feature of the program. The goats truly are the gift that keeps on giving. And hopefully with the vaccinations they are the gift that keeps on living.

I have also been asked about the goat T-shirts. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for some poor villagers, the T-shirts sold out! I never expected they would and now wish we would of had some more made. I know the shirts are about as trendy and fashionable as a T-shirt can be, but to have them sell out is amazing. All the proceeds made from the shirts are going to the purchase of more goats. Thanks to everybody who purchased a shirt.

Remember, it is not too late to get your goat!