This weekend was the BC Children's Miracle weekend. I have been part of the Retail and Wholesale Commitee for three years now. Our group includes such heavyweights as Costco and Overwaitea, and donations throughout the year came from both grass roots campaigns like BBQs and the recognizable ones like the popular Buy a Balloon you see at Costco.
Last year, we raised $3.2 million, and due to the downturn in the economy we set a stretch target this year of $3.2M. Basically, if we could match last year, we felt it was a win. Tonight at 7:30pm, a group of us from the council met outside the Hospital front entrance to start the Miracle Weekend broadcast on Global TV. Only the chair of our council knew the amount, so when we did the cheque flip and the number was announced, someone next to me said "Hey, why so glum?" I said, "We missed the target, only $2.9 million." They said "No silly, it is $3.9 MILLION!!!!!!" Amazing. Thanks BC for your generosity.
Later, I donned my mask and hat and, dressed as Zorro, I sat on the Miracle Maker Panel in studio to raise money. Our Committee decided to embrace the SUPER HERO theme and dress up for our turn on the panel. The idea is to call all your friends, family and business associates and ask them to pledge money. We actually started several months prior with our own fundraising web pages. Overall, the Miracle Weekend was a huge success, with a record breaking $15,607,607 raised!
Cheers,
Calvin
