Coins in the fountain

By Sandy Irvine

This past May, the rain stopped and the sun peaked out just long enough for the Honourable Bill Barisoff, Speaker of the Legislature, to announce that $3600 will be donated to the BC and Yukon Make-A-Wish Foundation. Gathered on the lawn in front of the main fountain of the Legislature were a handful of reporters, select members of Parliament, invited guests and a few stray onlookers to hear how it came to be. Simply put, the public is to thank. The donation comes from coins tossed into the two fountains-the second fountain is on the south side of the building-on the Legislature grounds.

"We're truly honoured to accept this donation," said Simon Uden, Vancouver Island Coordinator of Make-A-Wish. Each wish provides a child and their immediate family with a once-in-a-lifetime experience of the child's choosing. Experiences like trips to Disneyland, meeting a sports hero or a movie star, or flying shotgun in a fighter jet. Since its opening in 1983, the BC chapter of Make-A-Wish has granted 1475 wishes. The latest recipients, two BC boys along with their parents were also on hand to share a bit about what it meant to have their wishes granted. All agreed that these getaways shift the attention away from the stress of hospital visits, upcoming surgeries and sometimes painful and drawn out recuperation periods. One of the boys at the announcement has had 38 procedures-and he's only nine.

Prior to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the money went to Jeneece Edroff. Jeneece was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-a rare genetic disorder-at the tender age of three. At age seven, Jeneece decided to raise funds to give back to the charities that had assisted her family financially for her medical expenses. She spearheaded a penny drive for Variety, The Children's Charity, and has since become affectionately known on Vancouver Island as the "Penny Girl" for her outstanding efforts at fundraising and her spirit of generosity. Over the years, Jeneece has raised 1.5 million dollars for children in BC.

In the past 18 months, over 160,000 coins have been retrieved from the fountains. Legislative staff, who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable grounds, empty the fountains of coins and other debris at least once a week. And once collected, the money is then cleaned, fed into sorting machines and rolled before being brought to the bank. In regards to the impressive amount of foreign currency that's tossed into the fountain, because it can't be exchanged in small amounts the Sergeant-At-Arms Office will map out where the coins originated from and when there are enough coins to exchange, the Office will transfer them into Canadian currency. 

The Speakers Office cannot confirm if the BC branch of the Make-A-Wish Foundation will be the sole benefactor of future fountain donations. "But it does seem to be a natural fit," said a Speakers Office media advisor. Either way, whatever deserving organization receives it, it will definitely be an ongoing thing. 

So, the next time you happen to be strolling by the Legislative grounds with a few extra coins in your pocket toss them in the fountain; and while you're making your own wish, know you're also helping someone else's wish come true.