Hey fans! Swag here with a quick update on what’s been happening!
I’ve just released my first-ever a cappella album to my Fourthwall shop last Saturday, and that’s not all! Starting last Tuesday, I’m also dropping a music video on YouTube for every single track. Be sure to check out “No One Knows” on YouTube and consider picking up “Songs from the Heart” from the shop!
Greetings, everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read today’s blog post about my favorite charities. In this post, I’ll be dividing them into three main categories: Religious, Health, and Animal charities. In each section, I’ll explain why I choose to support these organizations, and I’ll include a link to their CanadaHelps page so you can donate if you’d like to support them as well.
I’d like to begin with my favorite religious charities. As a Roman Catholic, I support various institutions that guide the faithful both locally and nationally. The first one is my local parish, The Catholic Parish of St. Joseph’s Cathedral (St. Joseph’s Basilica). This is the church I attend for weekly Mass and occasionally on week days. It also serves as the main church of the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Edmonton, which is why it is designated as a Cathedral. Additionally, it holds the status of a Minor Basilica. If you’d like a refresher on the difference between a Minor and Major Basilica, I covered that in a past episode of my podcast—so be sure to check that out!
Another religious charity I’m proud to support is the National Catholic Broadcasting Council. This organization ensures that Catholic Mass is broadcast for those who are unable to attend in person. I’ve personally been blessed by their work—especially during times when I was sick and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting them is the least I can do to show my gratitude for the comfort they provided!
When it comes to health charities, I’m especially passionate about supporting organizations that provide essential resources, fund research, and raise public awareness about health issues. One such organization is Diabetes Canada. While I don’t have diabetes myself, I know people who do, and given my family medical history, it’s something I need to be mindful of. Supporting research and awareness efforts to improve treatment and prevention is a cause I’m more than willing to stand behind!
Movember Canada is another health charity I’m proud to support. Every November, I dedicate time to raising funds for their cause—something I’ve been committed to for the past eleven years. This organization focuses on improving men’s health, both physically and mentally. Having faced my own mental health challenges, I know firsthand how important it is to spread awareness and work toward preventing male suicide. Additionally, Movember funds vital research for male-specific diseases such as prostate and testicular cancer, making their mission even more significant to me.
The final health-related charity might not seem like a traditional health organization, but for me, it has been an absolute lifesaver: Edmonton’s Food Bank. There have been times when I’ve worried about my next meal, and the free groceries I’ve received through their programs have been a huge help. Beyond just food, their Beyond Food program provides training and support to help people secure good jobs. Without the generosity of this organization, I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through the past few years when I was without steady work. My support for them is more than gratitude—it’s a commitment to ensuring others have the same lifeline I did.
The final charity I love to support is The Valley Zoo Development Society. As an animal lover, I want what’s best for them, and this society plays a vital role in improving my local zoo by funding enhancements for the animals that live there. They even offer fun merchandise featuring various animals—I’m hoping to get a Meerkat plushie for myself one day! I’ve enjoyed many trips to the zoo, and knowing that my support helps create new experiences for future visits makes it even more rewarding.
Supporting charities is more than just giving—it’s about making a difference in the lives of others, whether through faith-based guidance, life-saving health initiatives, or improving the world for the animals we love. The organizations I’ve shared today have personally impacted my life, and I hope they inspire you too.
Even if you’re not in a position to donate, simply visiting their pages, learning about their missions, and spreading the word can make a huge impact. Every small action helps create a better, more compassionate world.
So, take a moment to explore the links provided and see if any of these causes resonate with you—you might just find a new charity to support!
Searching for the perfect gift for a fan of my video content or podcast? Want to support my latest project? Great news—my new merch has officially launched in my Fourthwall store!
Before, supporting me meant sporting a sticker, mug, or sweater with my avatar. Now, you can show your love for my podcast, A Few Moments with God, or Project Green Light with brand-new stickers, mugs, and apparel featuring each logo! Each collection is custom-designed, so grab your favorites—or collect them all!
Want to support me on a regular basis? Choose from two membership tiers—one of which unlocks a 10% discount in the shop when you spend over $100 in a single transaction (before shipping)! Plus, stay up to date with my latest videos or support me with a one-time donation.
Whether you’re grabbing a sticker, a sweater, or joining as a member, your support means the world to me. Every purchase and contribution fuels my projects and helps me keep creating content you love. Check out the shop, find your favorites, and thank you for being a part of this journey!
Dear reader,
To those who have supported me, and to those who may soon do the same, welcome to my blog and future community website. In the previous two posts here, I showed off the possibilities of what I can do with support from all of you. In this letter, I’d like to explain the challenges I face without support and how you can prevent that from happening.
In the first of those two posts, I showed how I would transform this simple blog into a full community website which would be a one-stop for all your family-friendly content needs. In the other post, I explained how with your support, I would add jobs to my community by hiring the right people to ensure that I could sustain that growth in the long-run. The vision in both posts depends entirely on the backing of a committed community.
Let me now explain the challenges I am facing without support. The biggest challenge I face is my rent. This alone costs me nine hundred dollars every month, and without a steady income, it’s not easy keeping a roof over my head. Without a steady place to call home, I won’t be able to produce any more of my family-friendly content that you enjoy. I also have other bills that need paying each month, and in total without groceries, I need around twelve hundred fifty dollars each month. This is why community backing is so important—it can help keep my work alive and ensure I can continue creating the content you love.
I know that not everyone can support me financially, and that’s completely okay. But there are other ways you can make a meaningful impact. Even small gestures—like sharing my work with others or engaging with my content—help more than you might realize. The YouTube algorithm isn’t easy, but with your likes, subscribes, shares, and comments, you can help ensure my content reaches the people who want to view it! Sharing these posts on my blog also will help get the word out to those who are interested in reading about topics I write on from my perspective. Sharing my podcast will help my fellow Catholics and other Christians learn about it and consider listening to an episode, and maybe even subscribing to me on Spotify. None of these actions cost a dime—just a moment of your time, and they can make a huge difference.
For those who are able and willing to support financially, here’s how you can help. For one-time support, you can send a tip through PayPal or LiberaPay using these links. You can also choose to buy my merch at my Fourthwall store, or purchase a service you are interested in from my Ko-fi page. For recurring support, both Fourthwall and Ko-fi have memberships that you can choose, with Ko-fi having two tiers to choose from. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference, and I’m grateful for your support in whatever way feels right for you.
At the end of the day, every bit of support—whether it’s sharing my work, engaging with my content, or contributing financially—helps bring my vision to life. Your encouragement, kindness, and belief in what I’m building mean the world to me. No matter how you choose to help, know that I deeply appreciate it. With your support, we can create something truly special together.
Your family-friendly content creator,
Swagnilla Ice (Nathan Pinno)
I enjoy Minecraft (well, modded at least, but you get the point). I also enjoy Pokémon—I remember playing one of the handheld games as a child. I won against the Elite Four and the Champion on my GameBoy Color, and I enjoyed playing the version that was set in the Orre region, though I never finished it. Imagine if you could enjoy aspects of Pokémon in Minecraft safely and legally—what adventures could you come up with, and what sorts of battles you could have, both against wild Pokémon and in multiplayer, against other trainers! You could build your own Pokémon center—make it as big as you wanted, as long as you had the materials! You could maybe even challenge gyms that spawned in villages and earn a unique reward when you won—or even a badge toward a bigger battle with the ultimate reward. The possibilities would be nearly endless!
The history of unauthorized Pokémon mods goes back a few years. The first unauthorized Pokémon mod, Pixelmon, did not have a good reputation with the community at large due to hidden code that allowed the developers to shut down servers that didn’t follow their rules—not Mojang’s or The Pokémon Company’s, but theirs. Due to this, and their use of copyrighted materials such as sounds and images, the developers were sent a cease and desist letter from Mojang in 2017, which they complied with. However, the mod has been revived several times since then by others after the base code was leaked. Pixelmon Reforged, Pixelmon Generations, and Cobblemon are three more unauthorized Pokémon mods for Minecraft, but sooner or later, I bet that Nintendo and/or The Pokémon Company will move to shut them down to protect their intellectual property, which they need to do in order to safeguard it.
I believe there is a way to get an authorized Pokémon mod for Minecraft. Yes, monetization is a factor that would appeal to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company (as they are both driven by profit), but I don’t think it should be the key aspect. Instead, an authorized mod would help their companies stay relevant and open Pokémon up to people who have never heard of the anime, games (both card and video), or manga. There could even eventually be a Pokémon World Championship tournament like there was in the anime—imagine seeing someone acknowledged as the best player of the game! Right now, this is impossible with the mods not being authorized. Additionally, an authorized mod could be trusted by the community to not have malicious code that would harm your game, and it would be compatible with the version it was designed for.
Personally, I will only ever support an authorized version of Pokémon as a mod for Minecraft and not include it in my Minecraft video series until this is accomplished. This aligns with my goals of making my content both family-friendly and ethical. I use tools like the YouTube Audio Library and Content ID to ensure that I am compliant with copyright at all times in my productions. If I’m uncertain about whether or not I can include something, I keep it out. For example, I encountered issues with copyright using Pretzel Rocks for my livestreams to provide background music, so I decided to stop using it. I’d rather use the normal Minecraft music (which I know is safe to use) than deal with the hassle of copyright claims on my livestream VODs. I have chosen in the past not to post videos when they went against these principles, and I will do so again in the future—you can count on it!
Once again, I call for an authorized Pokémon mod for Minecraft—just imagine the possibilities and how it could extend the shelf life of both games with such support! An official mod would not only ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for players but also foster a thriving community of Pokémon and Minecraft fans. It would open up new creative and competitive opportunities, from building intricate Pokémon-themed structures to participating in epic battles and tournaments. By supporting an authorized mod, we can encourage Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to collaborate with Mojang and bring this dream to life. Together, let’s advocate for a mod that respects intellectual property, enhances our gaming adventures, and paves the way for even greater innovations in the future. Join me in this call to action, and let’s make our voices heard!
Hey everyone,
I’m thrilled to share a project that I’ve been working on in Minecraft: a solid square pyramid made entirely out of sandstone, with each block representing one of my amazing Twitch followers or YouTube subscribers. 🎉
This Pyramid of Support symbolizes the foundation you all have helped me build. Every block stands for someone who has believed in me, watched my content, and engaged with the community.
Building this pyramid has been a labor of love, and seeing it take shape has been incredibly rewarding. It’s a testament to the incredible journey we’ve had together, from the first subscriber to the newest follower. We’re also getting so close to our first milestone of 500 supporters, which makes this project even more special!
Thank you for being part of this adventure. Your support means the world to me, and I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you. Here’s to many more blocks and many more adventures! (And yes, it will keep on growing for every new Twitch follower and YouTube subscriber I get. My hope is that it grows so big, it’ll touch the build height limit!)
Stay awesome,
Swagnilla Ice (Nathan Pinno)
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