User:LadyLessa/sandbox

This is a plan and bibliography for my Modern Childhood course at VIU. There are several aspects to my project.

I will be adding a link to the Variety – Children's Charity for the British Columbia branch, the Variety Club of BC. I will talk about its history, its formation, and its goals. Some of my research might also be used to enhance the history of original Variety page.

On both pages I will add a link for the annual Show of Hearts telethon held in Vancouver, Variety BC's main fundraiser. I will detail its founder, history and the way it has changed over the years, speak to its aims, and talk about some of its achievements.

I would also like to talk about the evolution of charity, and children's charities specifically, from general poor relief to the specified forms we see today. However, as there is no Wikipedia page for children's charities, I have not yet figured out if I will just included this on the Variety's history section, or if there is enough information to create a separate page.

“42 Days to SOH50 - How It All Began - The History of Variety,” Variety-The Children's Charity. January 3, 2016, http://www.variety.bc.ca/blog/_entry/how-it-all-began-the-history-of-variety.

“50 Days to SOH50 - Variety’s First Show of Hearts Telethon 1966,” Variety-The Children's Charity. December 26, 2015, http://www.variety.bc.ca/blog/_entry/varietys-first-show-of-hearts-telethon-1966.

Conner, Shawn. “Longtime Children's Entertainer 'Can't Wait' to Host B.C. Telethon,” Vancouver Sun, Jan. 22, 2014. http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Longtime+children+entertainer+wait+telethon/9417587/story.html.

Harrison, Tom. “Variety Returns to its Roots for 50th Telethon” Province, Feb. 5, 2016. http://www.theprovince.com/Variety+returns+roots+50th+telethon/11700742 /story.html.

“History,” Variety International. Accessed February 8, 2016. http://variety.org/about-us/history/.

Lindemann, Mary. Medicine and Society in Early Modern Europe. Vol. 16. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Woodroofe, Kathleen. From Charity to Social Work: In England and the United States. London: Routledge, 1962.

I think your on the right track with your plan. Your bibliography needs a bit more meat. Are there any articles in BCStudies about children's charities (variety or otherwise)? Check out the article in the Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood on "Child Saving" - it has some good general references on the history of charity. Cliomania (talk) 18:13, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

Variety Club of BC

Variety BC is the British Columbia branch of Variety, the Children's Charity. It was created in 1966 with the goal of offering supplemental aid to special needs children and their families through the provision of equipment, transportation, funding for treatments and other required support systems.

Purpose

Variety is different from other charities in that it does not focus on a specific illness or disability but instead works to fulfill “multiple unmet needs of children who are sick, disadvantaged or live with disabilities and other special needs.” They provide funding for specialized equipment and treatments, and accommodations for families during prolonged out-of-town medical care. They also provide transport in the form of their Sunshine Coach program which has more than 500 vehicles throughout British Columbia.

History of Charity

Main article: Charity

Before organizations specifically called charities existed, institutions like volunteer hospitals performed a very similar function. The first such hospital was opened in 1720, Westminster Infirmary in England, and was funded by donors, sponsorship, and philanthropists instead of the state. Since the Reformation of the 16th century there had been poor relief and collections for the sick and those who suffer from impairments like blindness, but these were all sponsored by the church and various religious institutions. It was not until the 19th century that a shift away from church based reforms occurred and these organizations became more specialized into the type of charity seen today. England's 1860s saw the rise of the Charity Organization movement, and in 1870 the first meeting of the Society for Organising Charitable Relief and Repressing Mendicity was held.

The Victorian Era saw the creation of not only organized charities but also those focused primarily on children. Separate from reforms, charity started as a way to show class superiority. Upper class women felt that it was their duty to help those children who were less fortunate whether they wanted or actually needed the help. It was not that the children had a right to a better life, but that the women were better because they provided it. This, of course, has changed since then, charities now being focused on helping children get what they need to live the life they deserve. Something that has remained the same between charities then and now is “the use of children, particularly the deformed and sickly, to excite casual charity.”

Programs started appearing in the mid 1800s that catered specifically to children. The YMCA in 1844, and the YWCA and the Boy's Brigade in the 1850s and 1880s respectively. As well, protections began to be legislated about labour regulations and penalties for abuse in 1844, 1851, 1863 and 1868. In 1889 the Act for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, or the Children's Charter, was enacted and in 1873 the Children's Protection Bill was forwarded but failed to pass. What all these programs and legislation have in common is their roots in the charity movement. By the late 19th century London “abounded in charities devoted to children.” These charities had many different focuses from food, shelter, and clothing, to health as well as affection.

Variety's History

The concept for Variety was originally created in 1927 when 11 men in show business found an abandoned baby girl, whom they named Catherine Variety Sheridan, on the door step of their club in Pittsburgh. It became an official charity in 1928, and now has 42 branches in 13 countries around the world. Their goal was to work together to provide for children who had no other resources. The public, supporting the endeavor that these business men were undertaking, also began to make donations for the care of disadvantaged children and thus a charity was born. Variety now works with businesses and other organizations, as well as the public, to raise money for their cause.

The British Columbia branch was the 47th to be founded, and came into existence on March 2, 1966. It was originally called the Variety Club of Western Canada before its name change in 1980 to Variety Club of BC. The founder of the BC branch was J. Ray Peters, who was also the owner of CHAN-TV, which is now Global BC. Although Variety BC's main focus remains local, together with its affiliates and sister branches, Variety also works on a national and international level to provide care for those children who need it.

Fundraising

Variety BC is funded by donors, both individual and corporate. Many different funding options are offered including monthly, Legacy, In Honour and In Memory donations. Business donations and those made in lieu of birthday gifts and other special occasions are also welcome. Individuals can also donate gifts-in-kind, which include products, services, and property, shares of publicly listed and traded securities, or fund a Sunshine Coach vehicle.

Variety BC also hosts a number of fundraisers throughout the year such as Radiothons, BC Bowls for Kids, coin drives, and the Variety Market and Auction. The largest fundraiser is the annual Show of Hearts Telethon produced by Global BC in February. It runs for a consecutive 24 hours taking phone pledges and sponsorship donations and offering various performances by musical artists. 2016 marks the telethon's 50th anniversary. Variety BC is rare in that the money raised remains in British Columbia. It has been called “one of the most cost effective charitable organizations in North America."

Show of Hearts Telethon

The Show of Hearts is an annual 24 hour telethon put on by the Variety Club of BC to raise money for children with disabilities and other special needs. The telethon airs on Global BC, usually the second weekend in February, and is Canada's longest running telethon.

History

The first Show of Hearts Telethon was held October 8th to 9th in 1966 at the Queen Elizabeth Theater. It was produced by J. Ray Peters, the founder of the BC branch of Variety and the owner of CHAN-TV (which is now Global BC), and by Jim Spencer, the telethon coordinator from the Pittsburgh chapter of Variety. Local artists, as well as celebrities like Daniel Boone and Patti Page, gave live performances over the course of the weekend and encouraged viewers to donate to the cause. That first year's telethon raised $67,000.

Over the years the telethon changed, moving to February (close to Valentine's Day) and using prerecorded performances instead of live shows; although, celebrity guests were still brought in to man phone lines and help raise awareness. Stories of children who are in need of Variety's assistance were also shown to strengthen pleas to donate as well as to show donors what their contributions achieve. Donations over a certain amount qualify for gifts such as various art prints, a Show of Hearts bear, gift baskets, and recognition during the telethon. Money raised now reaches millions of dollars every year. The methods may have changed but the goal remains the same – helping children.

Anniversary

2016 marked the 50th anniversary of the Show of Hearts Telethon as well as a return to its roots. Live local concerts were offered this year, performed at The Centre in Vancouver, as opposed to the clips of international performances that had become the norm. Bob McGrath, famed Sesame Street actor and longtime host of the telethon since his first appearance in 1973, was unable to do so this year and the telethon was instead hosted by Global BC news anchor Chris Gailus. In total, more then 6.8 million dollars was raised for the children of Variety.