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« on: April 02, 2012, 06:39:50 AM »
As most of you know, I perform at a hospital in Brooklyn, NY once a week in the pediatric unit. Most of the kids love to see me and get a big kick out of the tricks I perform for them. My usual routine is that I'll use a brand new, uncanceled casino deck out of a lot of eighteen bricks that I picked up really cheap on eBay, perform a few tricks with it, maybe one or two more with "special" decks (heh heh heh) and leave the child with the just-opened deck not only as a souvenir but to occupy their time when TV just isn't enough (or more accurately, is a bit too much)!
On average, I go through about a half-brick per session. I did some counting recently and noticed I'm down to about my last three-and-a-half bricks, which means that I'll probably run out of cards by the end of May. I'm loathe to end the tradition, since the kids really seem to appreciate it.
I discussed this with my fiancee, and bless her, she thinks I should just go ahead and buy the decks for the kids. I thought about getting Streamlines from WalMart for $1 a deck, but noticed that if I buy in bulk from Kardwell (quantities by the gross), I can get them for even less than a buck a pack. They aren't as cheap as the Gemaco decks I was giving away (I got those for less than 50 cents a pack), but they're also of much better quality. While the jokers aren't 100% identical, they're close enough to each other than I can get away with using them in certain tricks that require two identical jokers.
Money's a little on the tight side in my household right now, especially since I'm saving up to get married in Florida in August. I could probably swing getting a gross on my own in a few weeks, but I thought that perhaps some of you here might be interested in kicking in for some decks as well.
If you want to donate in any amount you can, PM me and I'll give you my PayPal email address. In exchange for your donation, I'll do something I think is rather special, something I did when Jason Brumbalow at Ellusionist sent me some decks to give away at the holidays. When I hand out a deck purchased with your money, I'll tell the child receiving it that this deck was from my friend, and I'll give them your name, and that this friend wanted me to give you this deck as a personal get-well gift.
I plan to place my order before the middle of May so I'll have them in time before I run out. If enough people donate, I'll go ahead and plan to buy another gross (and another, and another, etc.) until the date I go ahead to make the purchase. The website states the price for one gross (144 decks) at $139.00 plus shipping and state sales tax, and two gross (288 decks) at a ten-dollar discount, $268.00 plus shipping and tax. I'll try to contact the company, explain what the decks are for, and perhaps even negotiate a cheaper price (they sell wholesale as well as retail, so maybe they'd be willing to give me the wholesaler's price).
If you can't afford to donate, please, DON'T. I'm planning to buy decks one way or another and I don't want people going broke on this - your encouraging words will be enough. I simply thought that some people here would like to take advantage of the opportunity to help me make a little boy or girl's day a little brighter, and with enough help, make my purchase stretch even further and cheer up more sick kids.
All right, I've said enough. I'm practically blushing saying this much - I shouldn't be embarrassed to ask for your help like this, but I am, a little. Thanks for your time, and have a peaceful and pleasant day.
PS: if you happen to spot an even better deal on decks in bulk of at least the same quality as Streamlines, please don't keep it a secret! I'd love to make this purchase last for as far as I can make it go.
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