SASKATOON — From humble beginnings to a remarkable milestone, never in his wildest dreams did former Assiniboia Kinsmen member and now Martesnville resident Doug McConnell think he would see a 50th anniversary of Telemiracle, let alone have an opportunity to attend the show in person.
He joined Kinsmen to be part of a service club whose mandate was “Serving the Community’s Greatest Needs.” That role grew when a number of Sask. Kinsmen clubs met with visionaries Urb Donlevy and Peter Kilburn to brainstorm ways to expand fundraising for Saskatchewan people in need, as well as increase support for this new project they hoped to undertake.
The notion was that Kinsmen would band together, realizing that a broader collaborative effort was needed to raise a substantial amount of money to help people in their own province with disabilities who were unable to get funding from any other source.
McConnell was part of that record-setting telethon in 1977, and he and his wife, Sophie, were part of their own community’s fundraising efforts, along with volunteering at the show for multiple years after that.
As a member of the Assiniboia Kinsmen Club, McConnell was part of a group of service club members that met with Kilburn, Donlevy and others in strategy planning and boosting support for hosting a province-wide fundraiser.
McConnell says, “Clubs used to donate to a Sask. Kin fund to help provincially, and it was used to allocate funds to those in need across the province. The idea of holding a large-scale fundraising event inspired some brainstorming sessions with other Kinsmen Clubs.”
The Assiniboia Kinsmen dove into Telemiracle fundraising the first year it took place, and it soon became a club tradition. Skate-a-thons and even a 20-mile winter trail ride were some of the activities held. Kinsmen members also pushed a rock one year when the telethon was held in Regina, with the slogan, “Miracles are a stones throw away”.
Doug and Sophie would also volunteer at the show, bringing their daughters along to experience the 20-hour telethon live, instilling a love of Telemiracle from the early days onward.
McConnell said he, like probably dozens of others in those early years, never imagined the telethon would last 50 years, as their initial goal was for the fundraiser to sustain itself for at least five years.
McConnell sat down with Telemiracle 50 chairperson Tammy Blackwell in 2025, reviewing his recollection of those meetings and the early years of Saskatchewan’s only telethon.
The long-time Telemiracle supporter, who has had a hand in this event from the ground up, along with his family, has helped create and continue family traditions around each year’s Telemiracle event.
McConnell's daughters were Kin Kids, with one of them going on to become a Kinette herself as well as serving as a Telemiracle rep. His grandkids were part of many fundraisers in their communities and would share family huddles each year at Telemiracle time.
When his wife passed away, having worked at the first show with him, her memorial wishes were to have Telemiracle as a beneficiary, with his family making an on-air presentation.
Several years later, his oldest great-granddaughter used Telemiracle as her passion project for school and went on air with her fundraising efforts. At the 50th anniversary show, his youngest great-granddaughter is also scheduled for an on-air presentation after being part of a unique fundraising event.
McConnell, like many of those who may have been part of those first Telemiracle shows, has been reflecting on how this annual tradition has stood the test of time. Family traditions, such as those outlined here and experienced by his own family, surround the province’s only telethon, as well as a sense of collaborative provincial effort in its success, which are some of what has contributed to the show’s longevity.
In his interview with Blackwell, McConnell offered this advice to the Kinsmen and Kinettes about keeping Telemiracle going for another 50 years: “Get with it, get in there and do your thing, even if it’s a small thing.”
McConnell, who just celebrated his 87th birthday, will be attending the 50th anniversary show with family, embracing the nostalgia and amazed at the legacy and longevity of this annual provincial telethon, as well as celebrating the fundraising efforts that will be showcased throughout the 22-hour-long event.
