Several hundred volunteers are working in the region to collect donations at various stops along the 65e “The Poor Man’s Christmas” fundraising appeal. For the first time, electronic donations are possible on certain street corners.
Whether in Trois-Rivières, Nicolet or Shawinigan, several have been calling drivers since early Friday morning despite the cold.
The coordinator of the street stops for Le Noël du pauper, Roger Larivière, estimates there are more than 150 on the streets of Trois-Rivières. I have 11 organizations that help me with this and that take care of every street corner
he explains.
Christine is one of the volunteers. For six years she has been collecting donations in Trois-Rivières with around fifteen work colleagues who take turns throughout the day at the intersection of Rue des Cyprès and Boulevard du Chanoine-Moreau. People are smiling this morning, she said. Yes, not everyone gives it, but still with a smile. We thank you and wish you a nice day. And there is no such thing as a small donation. Every donation is important.
Despite the current economic situation, this volunteer feels a wave of generosity and solidarity. We are becoming more involved and will try to give back what we can to help and contribute. Me, I’m spoiled in life; If I can give someone else a little smile, that’s a win for us.
In Shawinigan and Saint-Boniface, there are nearly 200 people like Christine who are committed to this cause, whether outside on street corners or inside calculating the amounts raised.
The road stops organized in the Mauricie and Center-du-Québec regions raised more than $100,000 for Le Noël du Pauper, donations that were given back to the community to people in need.
To follow the telethon live from 5:00 p.m., click here.
Electronic donations
New this year: Volunteers can collect electronic donations using the TipTap tool. The general director of the Volunteer Action Center Trait d’union, Mathieu Gélinas, affirms that this option was necessary because the people contacted have less cash in their pockets.
“We worked with Trois-Rivières and then with Nicolet because we also took the risk of getting into this technology,” he added. We worked together on an effective solution. It’s certainly stressful this morning with the cold how it’s going to go, but I think we can see that it’s working.
Mr Gélinas hopes that this new development will help raise more money. Donors can choose between two predetermined amounts of $5 or $10 and tap their card on the volunteer-held device to make their donation.
A first time for Marie-Claude Julien
Although Marie-Claude Julien has been working on “Poor Man’s Christmas” for several years, this is the first time she will be leading the telethon. A few hours before she took the microphone in the J. Antonio Thompson Room, the host said she had a fever.
There are people who are active, who are putting their heart and soul into this cause, and tonight is something of a culmination of all of those efforts.
she explained in the role of guest on the daily morning show that she usually hosts, Always in the morning. This great celebration of solidarity came about because the people around us need it.
She recalled the importance of this telethon and expressed her hope that donors would attend. My goal is not a number, it is not a sum. My goal is for people to take action tonight, pick up the phone, pick up their cell phone and donate. A lot of times we can sit down and watch the show, but we don’t always give something, and that makes all the difference because that’s what we’re going to give to the people who need it.
The telethon will take place this Friday, November 24th, from 5 p.m. in the J. Antonio Thompson Hall in Trois-Rivières and will be broadcast in the region on ICI Télé and ICI Première.
According to interviews conducted on the show Always in the morning
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