Over 100 grand, and fedoras too!

A fedora trend spread throughout the Sault’s 2016 Easter Seals Telethon on Sunday and the annual event raised $110,104 to support children and youth with disabilities.

The event’s ambassador Ben MacDonald, 15, was diagnosed with Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy at a young age but spread his overwhelming positive attitude and charm during his second time as ambassador for the event on Sunday.

MacDonald started wearing fedoras about four years ago when his dad bought him one because he “just thought he’d look good in it”.

“I think I look old-school classy and sophisticated in them,” said MacDonald.

MacDonald wanted to make sure he wore one as ambassador so that he had a “signature look” to sell the public.

The fedora-gimmick seemed to work as not only his family but also many of the hosts and telethon volunteers wore them on Sunday.

He said he hopes the trend spreads and that maybe one day Sault Ste. Marie will have special “Fedora Fridays” and people will wear them all over town.

Even at his young age MacDonald shows a lot of enthusiasm and talent as host, hamming it up for the camera and effortlessly ad libbing jokes and lines throughout the live broadcast.

MacDonald’s family said doing the telethon is one of the ways he is turning his unfortunate disease into something positive.

“Sometimes there’s things we can’t change and, in those situations, those things can change us for the better. At first we saw this disease as only a bad thing. We didn’t have control over it and at the moment there’s no cure. However, it ended up changing all of us for the better. We’ve become closer as a family, we’ve connected with the community, and we’ve been able to meet amazing people in the community whose support we’re very thankful for,” said Ben’s dad Scott MacDonald. 

The all-day telethon event was hosted by Shaw Cable 10 and held at the Civic Centre council chambers.

Volunteers from 15 local businesses and organizations made outgoing calls and answered phones to raise donations for the cause.

Just one of these groups, Kal Tire, raised $1,200 through their Sault location and then their head office matched that amount.

Out of the hundreds of donations collected locally, the biggest donor, as is usually the case, was the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie which donated $27,500.

The Rotary Club also helps put on the event and it is described as a “joint venture” between them and Easter Seals of Ontario.

The funds raised at the event will support youth with physical disabilities by buying needed equipment like communication devices, walkers, wheelchairs, ramps, and lifts for the home, as well as sending youth to summer camps across Ontario.

The telethon started at noon and ended promptly at 7 p.m. so that the Soo Greyhounds game could be broadcast.

During the actual broadcast the amount raised was announced as $109,364 but after the cameras were off more donations were tallied bringing the total to more than $110,000.

“With the economic times the city has faced in the last year, to be able to raise the amount we have is pretty phenomenal. We feel very fortunate and want to thank everyone out there who took the time to donate,” said Jane Martynuck, another organizer.

Other Easter Seals telethons are being held in different communities across Ontario during the month of April.