MOOSE JAW — Bill Morrell doesn’t know if he’s been involved with TeleMiracle more than anyone else, but it’s hard to imagine many people have been part of the beloved Saskatchewan fundraiser as often or more than him.
Morrell, a former Estevan resident now living in Moose Jaw, has participated in 46 of the 49 editions of the Saskatchewan Kinsmen Foundation’s broadcast that raises millions each year for Saskatchewan residents. He’s looking forward to being part of the milestone 50th edition that runs from 7 p.m. Feb. 28 to 5 p.m. March 1 at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon.
In an interview with SaskToday, Morrell said he joined the Estevan Kinsmen Club after the first TeleMiracle in 1977. He also missed it once a few years ago for personal reasons, and another edition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m going to try to make 50 [TeleMiracles],” he said, noting he would need three more shows after this year.
He remembers Canadian country music singer Blake Emmons was part of the national cast at Morrell’s first TeleMiracle in 1978. Morrell also remembers the excitement of being part of something so special.
“It was really eye-opening to see the work and the dedication that was being done when there's six to eight hundred people working towards a common goal. It renews the faith in humanity,” he said. “Neighbours helping neighbours – that’s one of the things that really strikes me as being an important thing.”
In 2022, he was presented with a special jacket on air by members of the Estevan Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs in honour of his service.
A TeleMiracle jack of all trades
Over the years, Morrell has done just about everything imaginable. He dressed as the TeleMiracle Teddy mascot and was also Teddy’s handler. Morrell worked in treasury, the post office, blue room, souvenirs and food services; helped with manpower, transportation and local talent; answered phones; provided security; and even pulled wires for camera operators.
“It has all been all kinds of fun,” Morrell said.
He’s never looked after setup for the event, and he’s never been a singer or a dancer at the event, saying he prefers to work behind the scenes.
“The motto back then was ‘Serving the Community’s Greatest Need,’ and today’s slogan is ‘Helping People Every Day.’ I thought it was a fantastic way of helping people, far greater than what I could do myself,” he said.
This year Morrell said he will be a messenger, so he will be running messages from one point to another, leading performers from the back door to the stage room, taking VIPs into the green room, delivering pledges to the treasury, bringing food to where it needs to go and more – a “jack of all trades”, as he described it. Messenger work was a frequent task when he was a member of the Estevan club.
“The Estevan club was very, very, very active, and we were asked to provide at least 16 members to be messengers, so that we could be depended upon to have that many people. I just carried on from there, and said ‘Hey, I enjoy doing messenger work. I enjoy doing my 10,000 steps.”
In the early years, he remembers he was awake at 6 a.m. the Saturday of TeleMiracle when it started, volunteer throughout the event, leave at 8 p.m. Sunday after the broadcast and the post-show supper were finished, and then be at work on Monday morning, which he admits wasn’t smart. Now he gets to sleep for a few hours during the broadcast’s overnight hours.
Morell’s not alone with dedication
A lot of other people have been to many editions of the event, he said. Famed Saskatchewan musician Jack Semple, who is a staple with the TeleMiracle band, has been to the fundraiser many times. Morrell remembers a member of the production crew was there as often as Morrell.
And, of course, there was the late Bob McGrath of Sesame Street fame, who was part of the national cast for the first TeleMiracle in 1977 and was a perennial fixture until 2015. He made a surprise appearance in 2018.
“He was absolutely fantastic. All of the national cast has been very good,” said Morrell, praising the efforts people put in every year.
Morrell said he continues to help out at TeleMiracle because he was raised with the idea that it’s important to “pay it forward”.
“You never know when you’re going to need it, with that being an extension of ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’” he said, echoing the Golden Rule.
Morrell said he has made many friends through TeleMiracle over the years that he only sees once a year.
“It’s easy to make more friends when you’re there,” he said.
He recalls seeing 1,700-plus volunteers and approximately 200 technicians in the years when a supper was served after the broadcast. He doesn’t believe the number of volunteers has diminished over time.
Tech highlights the changes
As with so many things, technology has created a lot of changes. The cameras are far better than they were in the late 1970s.
He’s also glad to see video performances for local talent, because it gives people the opportunity to be part of the event without having to travel hours, and they can deliver a more polished performance than when they’re live.
The shift to Prairieland Park means he doesn’t have to run up 56 stairs to get from the basement to the stage level. And he had to climb even more stairs to get to the local talent room.
He misses the days of the manual tote board, when volunteers ran out on the stage to hang the numbers. Now there is a video tote board.
“The tote board kids had fun. They were excited. They thought this is an interesting thing to do,” said Morrell.
The audience remains an important part of the event, but the crowd has been smaller since the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that he says he understands.
But the support for TeleMiracle hasn’t changed. People are still willing to “ring those phones” and make a pledge, or support a local fundraiser, because they know the money raised will be directed to Saskatchewan people.
“Canadians are known to volunteer. Saskatchewan is made up of pioneers, and that spirit, helping one another, because you never know. You never know when it’s going to be you that needs the help,” he said.
Fifty years flew by
Morrell said it’s hard to believe that this is TeleMiracle 50. In those early years, he never knew how long it was going to last, but he hoped it would be around for a long time.
TeleMiracle has raised more than $171 million since its inception, including more than $1.7 million last year.
Morrell recalls hearing a story in which the organizers of the Jerry Lewis telethon for muscular dystrophy paid the organizers of TeleMiracle a “huge compliment”, when the Lewis telethon group marvelled how TeleMiracle, at the time, raised $3 per person in a province of one million people. Now it’s over $5 per person a lot of years.
Morrell said he is looking forward to this year’s TeleMiracle, although no more than any other year. But he knows it’s going to be special, and he hopes to see a lot of the long-time contributors, and he looks forward to people of Saskatchewan “ringing those phones” and the fundraising total going higher.
