ESTEVAN — The work on the United Way Estevan Telethon 2022 has begun.
The telethon will run for 33 hours, starting at 8 a.m. on Oct. 14 and through to 5 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Royal Canadian Legion Estevan branch. The public is welcome to come in, support the cause, enjoy entertainment and bid on the silent auction items.
Last week, United Way Estevan members came together for the first time this fall to discuss the upcoming edition of this beloved community event and fundraiser. Board president Robert Godfrey said that things are coming together really well.
"We just started our weekly meetings that lead up to the telethon. Our committees have all gotten together. They're working on their various projects, from our entertainment committee to our food services committee, our raffle and bid items. There are a lot of moving pieces that go on from now until our telethon. But everyone on our board is really excited to be back working together. And we're really looking forward to putting on another successful telethon," Godfrey said.
This year's theme is reUnited, and the goal is to raise $350,000 for 12 current member agencies and various community impact projects. Godfrey added that they have funding opportunities for a few more member agencies and community impact projects.
"Our theme this year is reUnited, and it feels so good. It's a nod to this post-pandemic telethon that we're having. This will be our first telethon in the past couple of years where we have no restrictions, we are going to be open to everyone to come and enjoy our telethon and really be reunited with each other. So we're really excited to have that theme this year," Godfrey said.
He added that their goal for this year is big, but they are confident that with the continued support of the community, they will be able to reach this goal. Funds raised allow them to enable all of their member agencies to continue to deliver vital services.
The reUnited Telethon will look as close to its traditional format as it can be. The only change that the board decided to keep from the previous two years is an option for performers to submit pre-recorded entertainment.
"It's a really handy tool for us to allow entertainment to perform. Sometimes we deal with scheduling conflicts or people that just geographically can't make it to our telethon. So that is something that we are excited to be able to offer to our entertainment. If they can't perform live in person, we will still be doing some pre-recorded content that we can incorporate into our broadcast as well. Other than that, everything is going to be pre-pandemic, which is really, really exciting," Godfrey said.
He also noted that the Cooks that Cook event, hosted by Kingston Midstream in an effort to raise funds towards telethon's total, won't be back this year, but they hope to resurrect it in the years to come. There will be several other traditional fundraisers leading up to the telethon, and United Way is open to any other ideas and suggestions.
"The Murray GM Kickoff, which we've done the last couple of years, that's going to be taking place on October 12. That's a Wednesday. That is a fun lunch that they do and we'll have some more details announced about that soon. A big thank you to Murray GM for hosting our kickoff again," Godfrey shared.
"And then the Great Canadian Oil Change will be hosting their annual Oil-A-Thon. That is an event where they donate a portion of the proceeds from every oil change that they do on October 12 and 13.
"We're also in talks with a few other local businesses about other promotions that we can do to both help raise awareness for the telethon, but also most importantly, raise funds for our member agencies as well … And if any other businesses would like to help us with a fundraiser or promotional event for our telethon, we are more than willing to partner with them.
"We're really thankful to the Estevan business community that always steps up to host various fundraisers for us."
The preparation for the telethon is still in its early stages, and the board is seeking help and support in many different areas.
They are looking for entertainment, so if someone has something that they'd want to perform on the telethon, this is the opportunity. Godfrey noted that it doesn't just have to be music, it can be dancing, crafting, or cooking skills. A cooking contest was introduced for the first time last year.
"If you have a talent that you want to show off, our entertainment committee is more than willing to look at how we can incorporate that into our telethon," Godfrey said.
They are also looking for food services. He explained that in the past people have been able to donate food for the telethon and they are looking for it again this year.
They are also accepting hand-made raffle and bid items.
"We're looking for crafters and creatives in our community that have something that they would like to donate to our bid items. That is a huge part of our fundraising efforts," Godfrey said.
And on the actual days of the telethon, they will need many volunteers to take on various shifts and duties.
"We're looking for volunteers for various roles, from running a camera to answering phones, to helping with co-ordinating our bid items. We also can use help during setup on Thursday before the telethon. Lots of opportunities for that if anyone wants to help with any of these things," Godfrey said.
He also thanked the community for helping the United Way Estevan meet their goals and keep the important community projects running.
"I just want to thank the community for the continued support of the United Way Telethon," Godfrey said.
People can get more information by contacting the United Way office at 306-634-7375 and speaking with their executive director Heidi Hesselink.
