The cameras have stopped rolling on another edition of Telemiracle. The set has been taken down and life has returned to a semblance of normalcy for Saskatchewan's Kinsmen and Kinettes, along with anyone else involved in raising such a significant amount of money.
Now the board members of the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation get to dole out more than $6 million donated by the people of Saskatchewan for the medical needs of people in Saskatchewan.
When you think about it, Telemiracle has a lot in common with our beloved United Way Estevan Telethon. (And not just because both are telethons that will celebrate their 48th year in 2024).
Of course, Telemiracle is on a much larger scale than the United Way Telethon. But both have a long history of success. Both unite supporters and bring out the best in us.
Telemiracle requires significant time commitments leading up to the event and involves the efforts of many people, not only those involved with the organizing committee and those who appear on screen, but those who work behind the scenes.
Supporters know that when they make a donation, it's going where it's supposed to go. While there will be staff members involved – you can't manage that much money without having at least an employee or two – the money stays in Saskatchewan. It's not bogged down in a myriad of administrative costs, and you don't have a CEO making big money.
Money raised during Telemiracle not only helps Saskatchewan people with medical expenses, it helps purchase equipment at our health-care facilities.
Of course, Saskatchewan's generosity is not just limited to telethons. We are known for helping out others, whether it be lotteries, fundraising suppers, campaigns and so much more.
We're going to be there for health-care causes, kids' groups, schools, sports teams and organizations, families in need or agencies that help the less fortunate. We see businesses step forward with donations for non-profit organizations all the time.
We're generous with our time, too. Saskatchewan has long been the province that leads the country in hours volunteered on a per-capita basis. Yes, a lot of organizations are facing a shortage of volunteers, a trend that is impacting Saskatchewan, but there are still a lot of people who give many hours to make fundraisers work.
A lot of it can be chalked up to our small-town roots. Those in small towns know that so many things wouldn't happen without volunteers. And people in rural communities are often very generous. There are a lot of people in the cities who hail from towns, villages and RMs, and who never forgot the importance of giving back.
Getting back to Telemiracle, it really is a wonderful event. You have people converging from throughout the province. Businesses, organizations and individuals are allowed to make a presentation on stage, regardless of the amount. A bequest for hundreds of thousands of dollars? It's broadcast on air. A kid raises some cash through a lemonade stand? It's announced on air.
When they say that every donation counts, they mean it.
New for this year was a "Miracle Map", which showed all of the communities where Telemiracle helped somebody with a medical need. There were about 200 of them. If somebody was on the fence about whether to support Telemiracle, something like the Miracle Map might help tip the scales.
There's a very good chance that you know somebody who has benefitted from the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation, even if you don't know it.
Telemiracle has become one of the highlights on the calendar each year for the people of Saskatchewan and is one of those things that everyone should experience at least once. And it reinforces our belief regarding the generosity of the people of Saskatchewan.
