Whether it’s saving lives, enhancing lives or enriching lives for children who have special needs, Variety – The Children’s Charity helps families all over B.C. breathe a little easier.
Families in Nanaimo know the difference that Variety’s support made in their lives. To help the charity continue to help more families in the Nanaimo area, the DJs at The Wave 102.3 FM are turning their microphones on from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., May 15, and hosting the sixth annual Nanaimo Variety Children’s Radiothon.
Last year the Radiothon raised more than $27,000 – all of which stayed in the Nanaimo area to help local families.
Families like those of Scott Lewis, whose newborn son, Landon, was born premature with a defect in his heart. At barely five months old, Landon had surgery to correct the problem and his parents were by his side at the hospital in Vancouver. And Variety – The Children’s Charity was waiting for them.
“When we walked in the door of the hospital, the social worker handed us vouchers for meals and accommodation. Variety also paid for our travel expenses. My wife is a day-care provider and I am a deejay – so our finances are tight. We had no idea how we were going to pay for all of this but Variety took away that worry and let us focus completely on Landon’s needs.”
Landon recently celebrated his first birthday and is a healthy and happy little boy. The Lewis family was so grateful for Variety’s support they have vowed to give back wherever they can. Last year, Scott Lewis hosted a series of rock ‘n’ roll Christmas fundraiser nights for Variety throughout the month of December at the Palace Hotel in Nanaimo, and has plans to make this an annual event.
Variety is fortunate to have many families and organizations across B.C. who host E4Vs (Events For Variety), and counts on the revenue from these fundraisers to help as many families as possible.
For more information, download the Variety E4V toolkit at www.variety.bc.ca/e4v.htm, or contact Carlene Field, event coordinator at Variety at carlene.field@variety.bc.ca or 1-604-320-0505.