Donations to the 2009 Comox Valley Child Development Centre Telethon were down from last year’s record-setting amount, but that’s fine with the event’s co-ordinator.

“We’re thrilled with the amount,” said Pam Crowe of the approximately $88,000 pledged during Sunday’s eight-hour show broadcast live by Shaw Cable from the Old Church Theatre.

Organizers at last year’s 33rd annual telethon had to come up with an extra number to hang so everybody could see the amount grow as the telethon progressed. The final total of $101,621 was the first time the $100,000 mark had been exceeded.

“We don’t compare,” Crowe, the CVCDA’s president, said of one year’s amount compared to another. “We just appreciate what the Valley does for us every year.

“What we get reflects how much people can give us.”

Funds raised help the CVCDC in Courtenay operate throughout the next year. The telethon is the Comox Valley Child Development Association’s largest fundraiser of the year and has been helping Comox Valley children since the centre’s second year.

Crowe thanked everyone who supported the CVCDA’s efforts through the telethon, citing “huge community support all the way.”

A huge gift basket that contained an estimated $2,500 in goods, vouchers and certificates from businesses throughout the Comox Valley was raffled for more than $6,900.

Besides donating things that make the basket so desirable, businesses sold raffle tickets and even bought some tickets to support the CVCDA.

A hockey raffle package, a new item this year, contained tickets to an NHL game in Vancouver donated by Canuck defenceman Willie Mitchell of Port McNeill, accommodations near GM Place and a free return ride courtesy of BC Ferries.

Selling all 200 $25 tickets raised a cool $5,000.

As an incentive to donate, the name of anyone contributing more than $250 went into the draw for anywhere WestJet flies in Canada.

They surely don’t need extra incentive to help other than helping kids, but the Baynes Sound Lions and Lioness combined with the Cumberland-Royston Lions to raise $13,000 in the trusty wheelbarrow they trundle up Highway 19A.

Some entertainers had to cancel due to the flu, but Crowe said other performers took their places. She also praised Shaw Cable employees for volunteering their time and expertise as well as local people who worked the phones taking pledges and challenges.

The money raised by the telethon goes toward specialized therapy equipment, resources, toys and books, as well as training videos for families and child care providers. The money also helps the CVCDA support programs that are not fully funded, such as the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group and The Autism Project, and it helps the CVCDA maintain its facility on Third Street.

editor@comoxvalleyrecord.com