The United Way Estevan Telethon has been my favourite event of the year pretty much from the moment I arrived here.
I say pretty much because I had been in Estevan for about six weeks when I covered the telethon for the first time back in 2000. But even before I walked into the Estevan Royal Canadian Legion for the first time for that fundraiser, I knew it was a special event.
I knew that it seemingly brought out the best of us. I knew that the community got behind it in a way unlike anything else. And once the event started, it brought us together.
Entertainers ranged in age from young children to the elderly. You had singers, dancers and instrumentalists. And there were lots of laughs. Sometimes intended, sometimes not so much.
The goal that year was $145,000 and the off-air total was around $162,000.
In 2006, I joined the board. Impressively enough, I’m still there. Evidently, it must be pretty tough to get punted. There are kids with their driver’s licence at the Estevan Comprehensive School who were born after I joined the board.
This year’s telethon is Oct. 14 and 15, with the theme of reUnited and it Feels so Good. We look forward to the telethon every year, but we’re especially looking forward to it this year, because we don’t have to worry about pandemic restrictions.
A lot has changed with the telethon in the past 22 years. One of the biggest ones is the goal. This year’s objective is $350,000, nearly 2 1/2 times higher than it was the first time I covered the event.
The $350,000 is an ambitious but attainable figure. The telethon has hit that number before, thanks to the incredible support of the community. But it’s unlikely this will be one of those years in which the broadcast hits its goal at 2 p.m.
Technology has changed a lot, too. I remember the setup for those first years. The equipment was a lot bigger and bulkier. It took longer to set up. The video and the sound are far more advanced now.
The local United Way has done a pretty good job of embracing technological changes, whether it be online streaming long before streaming was commonplace, or being able to have a mixture of live and pre-recorded entertainment during the past two years. (Expect most of this year’s entertainment to be live).
A lot of the faces have changed, yet there are still a number of board members, volunteers and entertainers whose involvement with the telethon dates back to the last century. Member agencies have changed, too, but some have been supported by the United Way a lot longer than I have been in Estevan.
The location hasn’t changed. The legion has been the telethon’s home for a long time. And the telethon has always been broadcast in its entirety on Access Channel 7 since I’ve been here.
Above all else, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the community support. The United Way Estevan can be ambitious with its goal because the community comes through. If it doesn’t reach its goal during the broadcast it will get there afterwards.
And the community knows that the money is going to stay here and help people here. It doesn’t go to some corporate head office in Toronto to be doled out across the country. It doesn’t go to a network of highly-paid support staff. Financial statements show the vast majority of the United Way Estevan’s revenues are doled out to member agencies and community partners.
If you haven’t been assisted by one of the United Way’s member agencies or community partners, then you likely know someone who has.
It doesn’t matter whether the donation is change from a kid’s piggy bank, or if it’s a big corporate donor, every little bit helps.
People support the United Way in other ways. Entertainment is the obvious one. There’s never a dull moment in the 33 hours. If people aren’t showcasing their skills, the hosts are keeping the mood light.
The bid items have become a big part of the show. They’ve always been there, but the number of hand-crafted items has soared in the past few years.
And people are volunteering throughout the 33 hours, whether it be behind the scenes, on camera, in the kitchen, in the banking room or by accepting your pledge in person or over the phone.
It is the event that brings out the best of us. And I’m looking forward to it happening this year.
