After his son was born safely at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax nearly 17 years ago, Mike MacKenzie wanted to show his gratitude.
For the past 15 years, the Island EMS paramedic has been the community chair of the IWK Telethon for Children, a role that’s involved rallying volunteers to answering phones and everything in between.
One way or another, everyone benefits from the health centre, said MacKenzie.
“There’s always someone you know who has a connection to the IWK,” he said, adding it’s an important cause to donate to. “It’s for sick kids. It’s their future.”
MacKenzie, along with about 30 volunteers, was at the Murphy’s Community Centre in Charlottetown on Sunday helping out with the 34th annual telethon.
This year’s telethon raised a record-breaking $6,580,266.71 throughout the Maritimes.
Adam Ramsay, IWK Foundation Relationship Manager for P.E.I., said the telethon, which is the IWK’s largest annual fundraiser, is vital to the health centre and helps fund programs, research and equipment.
“The idea with the telethon is to raise the funds to provide care towards areas of greatest need, mostly urgent care and things of that nature,” said Ramsay, adding that this year’s telethon was very successful. “It was a new record-breaker.”
The telethon draws donors from the community each year who collect money for the fundraiser throughout the year, including Gar Gillis.
Gillis, along with his wife Bonnie, run Hannah’s Bottle Village in Point Prim.
Rather than charging admission for the village, the couple began collecting donations from visitors and donates that money to the telethon.
This year’s cheque presentation of just over $9,100 has brought the couple’s total donations over the years to about $30,000.
Donating the money is a no-brainer for Gar Gillis.
“I give all my donations to the IWK,” he said following his cheque presentation. “It gives a lot of kids a second chance at life, and we know a lot of kids that have used the IWK, so I think it’s a wonderful cause.”
