To all you fine people out there… let’s do it

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/11/2009 (6157 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I had a phone message from Kai Madsen earlier this week. He had a cheque for me. Twenty-grand. Nice.

Madsen is helping me kick off this year’s Spirit of Christmas campaign, an annual fundraising effort by the sports department of the Free Press that collects donations in support of the Christmas Cheer Board. Madsen’s been at this a while. Me? "We’ll make you an expert by the end of the year," he says.

For 19 years, first as a reporter and then as night sports editor, I watched former sports editor Julian Rachey put his heart into the Spirit of Christmas campaign. He’d write columns, ask other people to write columns, hold book sales… he had a passion for the effort. Mr. Rachey retired in the spring, handing the baton to yours truly. I also pick up the responsibilty of steering the Spirit campaign.

I had lunch with Julian recently. He told me it’s you, the readers, who made his task most enjoyable.

"It’s amazing how much money we are able to raise with the help of Free Press readers," he explained. "All the people over the years… it was great."

Julian spearheaded the Spirit of Christmas fund for the Free Press from 1991-2008, including the five years he was business editor. Over that period he estimates the campaign raised $3.5 to 4 million. A big thanks from everyone, boss.

The Cheer Board also made a change over the winter, moving its hamper operation to a 40,000-square-foot building at the Red River Exhibition grounds. Madsen wants me to let everyone know about the new spot. Hamper pickups will commence Dec. 7 while deliveries will begin Dec. 12.

An official launch of the new location will be held Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.

The Cheer Board receives approximately 20,000 applications for hampers each year. Last year 18,737 were filled… there is no cap on hampers, they fill every qualified application.

"We don’t run out of hampers, we don’t run out of birds, we don’t run out of gifts. If we do, we get more," says Madsen, who is celebrating his 40th year as a volunteer with the Cheer Board.

"I’m always amazed at our community and how it reacts to our needs."

Madsen tells me he’s counting on $225,000 from the Free Press this year, $175,000 from the Spirit of Christmas and another $50,000 from Kevin Rollason’s Pennies From Heaven. We’ll need your help and I’m sure we can count on it.

By the way, if you’re wondering about the $20,000, it comes from the owners of the local Canadian Tire stores, who dig deep into their own jeans each season to aid in the Cheer Board’s effort. Thanks for getting us started in a big way. Good on ya. And a fine example for the rest of us.

 

Send your donations to: Spirit of Christmas, c/o Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, R2X 3B6.

 

Next week, we will begin publishing our list of contributors.