It鈥檚 hard to believe that Sept. 5 marked the 17-year anniversary of my arrival in Estevan.
The city has changed a lot in that time. I would hope I鈥檝e changed a lot as well. The past year has certainly brought a lot of changes for me.
But one thing hasn鈥檛 changed: my admiration and my love for the United Way Estevan.
Interesting fact time: the first story I wrote after arriving in Estevan in September 2000 was on the United Way starting to prepare for its annual telethon, or marathon, as it was called at the time. It was going to be their 24th annual broadcast. So I needed to call the president for that year, Lynn Trobert, to get some comments from her about the event.
Incredibly enough, Lynn, who is still a fixture with the United Way, didn鈥檛 hang up partway through the interview. But she was probably wondering why Lifestyles had hired such a buffoon to work in its newsroom.
I somehow pieced the story together. Not my best work, but I didn鈥檛 get a phone call complaining about the story, so I was happy.
Six weeks later, it was telethon time. The United Way eclipsed its goal, was the first in the country to do so, and set a new off-air record by raising about $162,000 during the 34-hour broadcast. The money went to the United Way鈥檚 member agencies.
I marvelled at the dedication, the commitment and the passion associated with the event. The telethon seemed to bring everyone together, and it seemed to bring out the best in the community.
It was a great event. And I was hooked.
Four years later, I served as a host for the first time. Once again, somebody had to be wondering how I secured a spot at the hosts鈥� table. And two years later, I was asked to join the board.
I鈥檓 still hooked on the telethon.
The United Way telethon is something that everyone in Estevan can be proud of. Performers of all ages, from all sorts of demographics and nationalities, and of varying skills, lend their talents through the entertainment.
The business community steps forward with their contributions of financial donations, equipment, time and even food. (I鈥檓 admittedly a big fan of the food committee). Volunteers provide time by working the cameras, answering phones, working behind the scenes and preparing food.
And, of course, there are all the people who step forward with donations because they believe in the member agencies and the community partners.
It brings out the best in us.
The telethon is unique among United Ways in Canada. Estevan and Weyburn are the only United Ways that I know of that employ this format for a fundraiser.
It鈥檚 not a format that would work elsewhere. But the ability to have an event like this is one of the perks of being in a community that is small enough to have that 鈥渆veryone knows everybody鈥� feel to it, but has enough people to have a strong base of performers, volunteers and donors.
Other United Ways have taken notice. At the national convention for the United Way telethon, when people see the United Way Estevan delegates, they know about the telethon. They know how successful it is, how much money it has raised, and how much of that money is turned over to the member agencies.
This year鈥檚 telethon is taking place on Oct. 27 and 28. It鈥檚 a couple of weeks later than normal, but it is still going to be a great event.
The goal is $325,000, which is the same as last year. The needs of the community haven鈥檛 changed. The member agencies and community partners still need the support so they can continue to provide services.
Odds are pretty good that you have accessed the services provided by at least one of the member agencies at some point.
For 33 hours, the telethon will once again bring out the best in the community. And at the end of the show, regardless of whether the United Way reaches its goal, the telethon will once again serve as a reflection of the generosity of our great community.
And hopefully, there will be someone there for the first time who will fall in love with the event.
听
