The 40th annual United Way Estevan Telethon on Oct. 14 and 15 was a celebration of many things.
It was a celebration of the tremendous community support, not just this year, but in previous years. After all, the telethon set a new off-air record by raising $372,394 for the United Way鈥檚 15 member agencies and two community partners.
And the money raised pushed the United Way over the $8 million mark for funds raised since the first telethon in 1977.
But the United Way also used the milestone broadcast to celebrate its history. Former board members were on hand throughout the weekend to help out with the fundraiser, or to offer their best wishes for this year鈥檚 campaign.
For three former board members, the event was a homecoming.
John Deadlock was a fixture for the telethon鈥檚 first 30 years, until he moved to Hanna, Alberta in 2006. He was thrilled to come back to Estevan for the 40th edition, and to see it raise so much money.
鈥淚 lived here for so many years, and I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever enjoyed three days as much as I have,鈥� Deadlock said in an interview with Lifestyles. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy because of the fact that it was our 40th year, happy we reached our goal for this weekend, and very happy for all the people that I got the chance to talk to and to thank.鈥�
Deadlock鈥檚 involvement with the United Way dates prior to the first telethon in 1977. He and the late Georgie Cochrane would interview member agencies on the street for the radio station during United Way week.
He didn鈥檛 know if that first telethon would be a success.
鈥淚 was nervous until the board of directors came to me at 11 o鈥檆lock 鈥� on the first night, and said 鈥楯ohn, we鈥檝e got a problem,鈥欌�� said Deadlock.
That 鈥減roblem" was the telethon would surpass their goal less than halfway through the broadcast. They decided to keep going until the 36 hours were up at 8 p.m. the following night.
鈥淭he telethon was different,鈥� said Deadlock. 鈥淲e presented entertainment that represented every part of the city, that involved families, that involved grandmas and grandpas, cousins, uncles and aunts. They all came down.鈥�
During the first year, Deadlock served as the host for the entire 36 hours. He did the same for the next two years. Then he approached other media personalities, city council members and United Way board members to help with the host duties.
While in Estevan this year, he served as a host for a couple of shifts, and he joined another former board member, Brian Senchuk, on stage to speak to school students in the morning of Oct. 14.
Interacting with school children was always a highlight for Deadlock.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been the bread and butter of the United Way,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been my adopted kids, every one of them.鈥�
Deadlock is also a past president of the board, having served as co-chair with Matt Miller in 1988.
Even though he lives in Alberta, Estevan remains Deadlock鈥檚 home, and he stresses it will always be his city.
Jim Warner and his wife, Deb Gress, were also back in Estevan for the telethon. They travelled from their home in Forestburg, Alberta, picked up Deadlock in Hanna, and drove to Estevan together.
They wanted to be part of the 40th telethon. Gress had host shifts, while Warner worked behind the scenes. They also updated the total board, and visited with many friends in the community.
鈥淭he telethon was probably the big highlight of our life in Estevan,鈥� said Warner. 鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of good things that happened, don鈥檛 get me wrong, but the telethon was always a huge event in my life, and then Deb came on a little bit later, and it was the same for her.鈥�
Warner became involved with the United Way in 1981, and he was the president in 1986. He stepped away from the board after retiring from SaskPower in 2009.
Gress joined the board in 1991, and she was president in 1996. She stepped down in 2010.
They loved the energy and the sense of family associated with the United Way.
鈥淚 was just a wet-behind-the-ears kid when I started with the United Way, and in my own life, it gave me a great boost of self-confidence, and it sort of led me to pursue my career a lot more,鈥� said Warner.
鈥淚 wanted to get involved with something in the community, and what a better way to get involved than with 15 to 20 member agencies in one spot?鈥� added Gress. 鈥淎nd then it became like a family.鈥�
They believe people have supported the telethon because it helps the different agencies, and it鈥檚 become a source of pride for Estevan residents.
鈥淚鈥檝e even had a national president tell me that this is arguably one of the most successful United Ways in the world, because first of all, the vast majority of the money in this United Way goes to the member agencies, and with a lot of charities, unfortunately, that鈥檚 not the case,鈥� Warner said.
Both have fond memories of the telethon鈥檚 past. Equipment is much lighter and smaller than it used to be. Warner remembers the stage used to come in 30 to 40 pieces that weighed 250 pounds each.
鈥淚t was so badly beat up that we had to crawl around underneath and tie everything together with zip ties,鈥� said Warner. 鈥淒arcy Purvis and Pete Marcotte were the guys who would get on their hands and knees, and they鈥檇 spend tonnes of time under there, tying every leg together so it wouldn鈥檛 fall apart during the telethon.鈥�
But one thing hasn鈥檛 changed, Gress said. The community still gets behind the United Way, and they always support the Telethon.
鈥淭he community is still involved,鈥� said Gress. 鈥淭he board members are still active, and the new ones that come on learn from the old ones and also teach something new.鈥�
