Tom Says: “Does UNBSJ care about the Children’s Wish Foundation?”
Let’s all hope the organizers of last weekend’s rally in the King’s Square area of Saint John — organized by those fighting to save their school — gave a moment’s thought to the local branch of the Children’s Wish Foundation.
This foundation was established many years ago as a charitable organization — providing in many cases — last wishes for Canadian children suffering from terminal illnesses. They depend on the goodness of the heart from many Canadians through their generous gifts and a once a year fundraiser called, “The Wishmakers Parade.”
Wishmaker parades are held in many communities large and small from coast-to-coast on specific days and at specific times.
Local volunteers spend hours of their time putting these parades together and whether or not children have their last wishes granted often depends on the amount of funds raised by these parades each year.
This past weekend, the Wishmaker’s Parade in Saint John — which had been planned many months in advance — happened to fall on a date and time coinciding with the latest “Save UNBSJ” rally.
It is to be hoped by all concerned that rally organizers were aware that this particular Wishmaker’s Parade and the their rally was scheduled for the same time and the same place.
One would hate to think that before planning the university rally, organizers knew the day was Wishmaker Parade Day in Saint John. As one who has served on the Board of Directors with the local Children’s Wish Foundation, I know how important the fundraiser is annually to local organizers.
The University of New Brunswick in Saint John certainly deserves all the support it’s members of the general public continue to give it, but so does the Wishmaker’s Parade.
I would not want to think rally organizers knew of the parade’s plans but went ahead with their own rally anyway — and if there was communication between the two groups, and they’re both satisfied with the results — that’s as it should be.
We must all hope that’s the way the entire thing went down.
I’m Tom Young.
October 16th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
My understanding is that is exactly how it happened: that the organizers inadvertently chose the same day as the Wishmaker’s parade and did not discover the conflict of schedules until publicity had gone out and planning was well along. I also heard that the organizers of the Wishmaker’s parade were incredibly gracious and accommodating when the two groups came to discuss the problem, for which we who were involved with the “Save UNBSJ” rally are most grateful.