After bringing in another $55,264 and counting, Roxanne Casey said the recent CanoeFM Radiothon fundraiser was another reminder of how much people value Haliburton County’s community radio station.
The 15th annual event ran July 4-6, with more than 400 individual donors putting their hands into their pocket to support the station. Casey said the dollar amount raised during the three-day on-air celebration was almost identical to last year – no small feat given the ongoing economic uncertainty.
“Truly, we were a little bit worried this year. With all the tariffs and worry those have caused, I thought there was no chance we were going to do this well,” Casey said. “It’s absolutely phenomenal… and tells us that we’re doing something right.”
About 25 volunteers assisted, helping to take in-person and over-the-phone donations and keep listeners entertained.
Casey said her biggest takeaway was how much people appreciated Canoe’s coverage in the days following the March 28 ice storm, which knocked out power to approximately 85 per cent of County residents. The station was able to utilize generators to stay on-air.
“Internet was down for almost everyone, cell reception was offline too, so for a lot of people the radio station was the only way they were keeping on top of things in the initial aftermath,” Casey said. “It was so humbling hearing some of the stories. Sometimes you wonder if you’re just spinning your wheels, are people really listening, but this told me loud and clear people appreciate what we do.”
This year’s live auction featured Toronto Blue Jays tickets, donated by Janis Parker, personalized concerts from County acts Carl Dixon, Drew Allen, and Craig and Maggie Thompson, a kayak donated by Canadian Tire, and a record player donated by Redman Records, raising more than $13,000.
Money was still trickling in July 7 – Casey said one long-time listener stopped by the station and donated up $200, wanting to do his part after being away for the weekend.
While there were a few sizable donations, notably a $5,000 gift from the estate of Patrick Monaghan, host of the station’s popular Buckslide Blues Cruise show from 2016 to 2023, most of the money came in smaller increments.
“It was $5 here, $20 there – it’s not like everyone came in and gave $100 minimum every time. People gave what they could, and we so, so appreciate whatever they could manage,” Casey said.
The money will go into a pot to help sustain ongoing operations, which Casey pegged at about $400,000 this year. She said the station has about 65 active on-air hosts.
“We don’t get money from anybody, no government support, so we have to raise our own funds. We do that through advertising, but it’s events like this that really make a difference,” she said. “We couldn’t do this without our listeners, our businesses who support us every year, all the volunteers who are always more than happy to help.”
