Every once in a while, something will come around at just the right time.
For me, that something was the Kinsmen and Kinettes Telemiracle 46.
And I don’t think I’m the only one who felt this way.
It was a marvellous event, with a little more than $8 million raised for the needs of people in Saskatchewan. An incredibly successful weekend with a new off-air record, eclipsing the $7 million raised in 2018. (The year in which Estevan’s Susan Colbow did such an admirable job as the Telemiracle committee chair).
This was just the second time in which Telemiracle has raised $6 million, let alone $7 million.
It’s incredible that a province the size of Saskatchewan can have a fundraiser that seemingly brings us all together and raises so much money.
If you don’t know about Telmemiracle, you likely haven’t spent much time in the province. Its value is ingrained in us from an early age. Many schools will hold fundraisers in the weeks leading up to the broadcast. Or there will be community fundraisers to benefit Telemiracle. If a young person asks why they should donate to Telemiracle, there will be no shortage of people able to explain why Telemiracle deserves our donations.
In the weeks prior, it’s always close to the top of mind.
And it seems like everyone in the province knows someone who has benefitted from Telemiracle, whether it be through support for the purchase of a scooter, or helping to pay for costs associated with a medical need.
When I moved here in September 2000, it was about six months before Telemiracle 25, so I didn’t start hearing about Telemiracle until a few weeks before. I knew pretty quickly it was a great event.
That year, it raised more than $3.5 million, the first time it had ever cleared the $3 million mark. It’s the beauty of Telemiracle that brought Bob McGrath back year after year. He knew it was something that was well worth supporting, and you could see how excited he was to be back in Saskatchewan. It’s why Canadian country music star Beverly Mahood continues to come back to Saskatchewan every year.
It’s why someone like former Estevan resident Bill Morrell has helped out with Telemiracle 44 times in the 46-year history of the event. The first time Bill Morrell was at Telemiracle, I wasn’t born yet.
Kudos to the Estevan Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs for recognizing Bill early on in the broadcast this year.
And it’s why there are so many people who contribute their time and talents, whether it be the entertainers – regardless of whether they were part of the national cast, or people from throughout the province who sang, danced and played instruments.
You see the people in front of the camera as hosts, entertainers or answering phones, but there are so many people working behind the scenes who make the broadcast possible.
So many Kinsmen and Kinettes from across the province are working in so many different capacities.
And in the end, it pays off with a total that allows the Kin members to help people from throughout the province.
You know that when you give to Telemiracle, the money goes to the people of the province.
It was also great to see more people on the stage this year. Yes, there was still pre-recorded entertainment, and that might be a part of Telemiracle each year going forward. But it always looks and sounds better with live entertainment.
This year’s Telemiracle gave many of us a chance to take a break from everything else. Okay, so I was preoccupied with hockey Saturday night, thanks to the Vancouver Canucks’ latest victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Estevan Bruins clinching first place overall in the SJHL regular season standings.
But Sunday was a time in which I could focus on two things: writing and Telemiracle. We all cheered (and many cried) when the announcement was made about a bequest for $1.7 million.
Yeah, it was back to worrying about national and international headlines Sunday night, but it was nice to take a break from what’s happening in the rest of the world, even for a little while.
I don’t know how long $8 million will be the benchmark for Telemiracle fundraising. It might be a year. It might be a few years.
But I do know that with the money that was raised this year, Saskatchewan’s Kinsmen and Kinettes are going to be able to help even more people.
And in the end, that’s the best part of the story.
