It’s time to “do it for the kids.”
The 47th annual Comox Valley Child Development Association Telethon takes place on Sunday, Nov. 6 from noon-8 p.m. at the Sid Williams Theatre.
Live and pre-recorded performances by some of the Comox Valley’s best entertainers will maintain the flow of the afternoon, while volunteers man the phones, helping the generous people of the valley and beyond contribute to a worthy cause.
“We are really excited, and it’s so good to see everyone coming back,” said CVCDA executive director Cindy Xavier. “I think one of the biggest struggles in the past two years with COVID is entertainers feed off their audience. When you get up there on that stage and when, especially like in this case, when there are kids in the audience with their smiling faces and everybody is happy to be there, that’s what fuels you.”
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There will be a face painter in the lobby from 1-3 p.m., and a photo booth set up for additional entertainment.
“We are working on making it a really fun, family event,” said Xavier.
The phone operators are the backbone of the day, and there will be as many recognizable faces at the back of the theatre as there are on stage.
“We have some great long-time supporters helping on the phones,” said Xavier. “Our Rotary clubs are always a part of that. We have our mayors up there. We’ve even had our MLAs up there in the past, and various donors who have been helping the agency for years. So we have a chance to interview them and a chance for them to directly communicate with people in the community who have been supporting our agency.”
Members of the Baynes Sound Lions Club will not be manning the phones. That’s because they will be on the road, walking from Fanny Bay to the theatre, filling a wheelbarrow with cash along the 32-kilometre trek.
“That’s always exciting,” said Xavier. “Last year they raised over $11,000 and the bulk of their donations were raised on the road, during that walk. It’s crazy amazing. I have never seen anything like that… I absolutely love the creativity and determination of community-based support. People wait for that wheelbarrow to come and give their donations. We hope that the weather co-operates, but if it doesn’t that doesn’t stop them. They still do the trip, no matter what. They come in (to the theatre) and they are exhausted, and very emotional… it’s pretty incredible.”
The online silent auction has already raised $7,492 (as of Monday, Oct. 31) and it’s no wonder. The items up for grabs feature everything from art and restaurant gift certificates to staycations and golf packages.
The 50/50 raffle is limited to 4,000 tickets, with prices ranging from $5 each, a four-pack for $10, and a 10-ticket pack for $20.
There are a total of 1,100 tickets available for the online prize raffle, which features two grand prizes: a trip for two anywhere WestJet flies, as well as a Tofino vacation package, including a whale-watching tour for two.
Raffle tickets are selling for $10 each, three for $25, or 10 for $50.
The online auction, the 50/50 and the prize raffle can be accessed at cvcda.ca/telethon
The bulk of the money raised this year will go towards a massive capital project.
“Our early intervention therapies building is over 100 years old and (replacing it) is going to be a very big capital project. So we will be committing funds from this year’s telethon to help us get started on that,” said Xavier. “Our focus is shifting to what we need to provide children and families, and it’s really apparent that without more space and without adequate space, wait lists are long, and it’s more difficult to manage the increase in families coming to the agency for support and service. So it is past time that we get this going.”
terry.farrell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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