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Bowling alley manager taking calls at Variety telethon

A Fruitvale woman will share the stage with entertainers and dignitaries this weekend after being invited to sit on the Variety Show of Hearts Telethon panel in Vancouver to field calls for kids.

MacGillivray also given 20 seconds to promote community

A Fruitvale woman will share the stage with entertainers and dignitaries this weekend after being invited to sit on the Variety Show of Hearts Telethon panel in Vancouver to field calls for kids.

This year is the 45th annual telethon that raises money for children with special needs, and will feature performances from Il Divo, Cirque du Soleil and David Foster to name a few.

As a member of Bowl B.C., a long time Variety partner, the manager of Beaver Valley Lanes will join the parade of celebrities - perhaps not on stage but somewhere in the background - as Kris MacGillivray has been invited to answer phones and take pledges for the worthy cause.

She will also have her moment in the spotlight as each panelist is allotted 20 seconds to give a shout-out to their community.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to say yet but I’ll think of something,” she said. “I also have a personal line so people in the area can phone and talk to me personally if they want to.”

MacGillivray was asked because she had recently organized a fundraising event that took in one of the highest percentages based on population in B.C.

“I was really excited,” said MacGillivray. “And it’s even better because I’m sitting on the same panel with Norm Grohmann, so I thought that was pretty cool.”

She leaves for Vancouver Friday and will be taking pledges at the Red Robinson Theatre alongside executives and others from the bowling community including Grohmann, Global BC TV’s longtime newsman.

In a three-week period last month, MacGillivray helped raise almost $1,400 for the variety club, $600 more than the previous year.

She personally went to every business in the community asking for help and, while she admits it was tough getting participants so soon after the holidays, she did manage to generate a positive response.

Local businesses and individuals including the Beaver Valley Library, Kootenay Savings Credit Union’s Fruitvale branch, Scotiabank and Walmart contributed to the cause and members of each staff came out to bowl a couple free games in the newly renovated and well-used facility.

“Our goal was to beat last year and we did so I was quite happy about that.”

Bowl B.C. is celebrating its 25th year of involvement with Variety and has raised over $2 million in pledges in that time thanks to contributors like the Beaver Valley Lanes.

MacGillivray’s direct line is 529-3012 and will be part of the first shift opening the show live on Global BC at 7 p.m. and taking pledges from 7-9 p.m. Saturday.

The telethon continues over Saturday night and will answer calls until 6 p.m. Sunday. To make a donation, residents can also call 310-KIDS (5437).



Jim Bailey

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