Susan Colbow has a hard time believing that the 2018 edition of Telemiracle is only a couple of months away.
Colbow is the chairperson for the 42nd annual fundraiser, which will be March 3 and 4 in Regina. She is the first person from Estevan to serve as chairperson of the event, which is organized by members of Saskatchewan’s Kinsmen and Kinettes.
“It’s getting down to the wire,” said Colbow. “We only have a couple of months left. We have had a few meetings under our belt, and we have lots more to come.”
It was 10 months ago when Colbow stood on the Telemiracle stage at the end of the 20-hour fundraiser, and was introduced to the province as the chair of the event. She revealed her logo for Telemiracle as well.
At the time, the 2018 Telemiracle seemed like a long ways off. But the months have gone by quickly, and now it’s only a couple of months away.
“It’s exciting. It’s getting scary, but it’s also going to be sad when it’s done,” said Colbow.
There have been times in which she has panicked, but during those times, she reaches out for the support of people at the Telemiracle office in Saskatoon. When she gets stressed out, Colbow said they calm her down.
“I get nervous about it, but then I think it’s been done before, it’s all good and everything will be fine,” said Colbow.
She also has a great committee, which includes three members of the Estevan Kin Clubs. James Jones of the Estevan Kinsmen is in charge of security for Telemiracle. Janelle Luddington of the Estevan Kinettes is tasked with manpower, which means she supervises the volunteers and finds them hotel rooms.
Jacinda Drew of the Kinettes is the education chair.
“She is in charge of getting the schools that put up the … tote board numbers,” said Colbow, who noted 10 different schools put up numbers during Telemiracle.
Three people from Weyburn are also on the steering committee, and the rest hail from across the province.
“They are all eager and they are doing their job well,” said Colbow.
The Tim Hortons Brier national men’s curling championship is in Regina in March, and starts the same weekend as Telemiracle. It has created a challenge to find hotel rooms and food, but the committee is on top of the situation.
The committee still needs to secure food and equipment for the show, find more corporate sponsors, register and schedule volunteers, promote the event and encourage fundraisers.
“I know a couple of the local schools have been gifted money from Telemiracle, so I think they’re planning on having a Telemiracle week, and trying to raise money for it,” said Colbow.
“So the biggest thing now is to make sure everybody’s aware that Telemiracle is coming.”
Auditions for the Saskatchewan talent for Telemiracle were held in Regina and Saskatoon in November. Colbow raved about the talent from across the province who tried out for Telemiracle.
About 130 prospective performers turned out during the rehearsals, but only around 60 were chosen.
A big part of the preparations for Telemiracle will be a launch on Jan. 19 in Saskatoon and Regina. There will be a breakfast for existing and new corporate donors in Saskatoon, while the event in Regina will be late in the afternoon. It’s a chance to thank them for their support in the past.
Those luncheons will feature a couple of speakers who are past recipients of funds through Telemiracle, and performances by some of the Saskatchewan talent. The national cast, which includes the marquee names who will be part of Telemiracle, will be revealed on Jan. 19 as well.
“I do have to give a speech at those events, and I am working on it right now, trying to get it done,” said Colbow.
There will also be a video to showcase previous editions of Telemiracle, and what happens during the broadcast. For the corporate sponsors who are new, it gives them a look at the fundraiser.
“Some companies change their management, so management might come from out of Saskatchewan, and not really know what Telemiracle is, so they usually have a slide presentation or a video just to show past editions and what people have done, and the corporate sponsors we have had,” said Colbow.
Colbow said people can look forward to some more announcements regarding Telemiracle after the launch.
This year’s Telemiracle will run from 9 p.m. on March 3 to 5 p.m. on March 4. Proceeds are directed to the Kinsmen Foundation, which supports medical equipment purchases and helps Saskatchewan people access treatment.
