The Staples Canada Give a Toonie Share a Dream campaign brought memorable moments and fundraising success in 2017, as stores across B.C. found great support from their communities and inspiration from local Special Olympics athletes.

Now in its 17th year, the Give a Toonie Share a Dream campaign raises funds and awareness to help make dreams come true for Special Olympics athletes. During this national campaign, Special Olympics athletes and volunteers join Staples staff in stores to invite customers to donate at the till or online. The 2017 campaign, which took place from May 6 to June 4, raised more than $628,000 across Canada.

Darcy Smith, General Manager of Maple Ridge Staples, says their team is a “competitive lot.” So when he challenged them to raise as much as they could for Special Olympics – spurred on by a little friendly competition with the Langley store down the road – “they made it happen.”

In addition to fundraising at the till, Maple Ridge staff members organized hotdog days supported by local businesses and “lift sits,” where an employee was raised up on a stock picker and customers were asked to donate to get them down.

Smith praised the excellent support they received from local Special Olympics BC athletes, who helped out with the campaign in store and really motivated staff to do their best.

“The team got to know the athletes by name, got to know their personalities and it pumped them up. They did it for them,” he said.

Maple Ridge was the top fundraising store in B.C. and had the second-highest total of dollars raised in Canada. Smith says they enjoy supporting Special Olympics because “we see all the good work they do and it gives a huge morale boost to the team.”

In Duncan, Staples employee and SOBC athlete Debbie McPheators enjoyed being part of the coffee and donut days organized by staff as part of the campaign.

“I liked helping customers and giving them coffee and being there to help out,” McPheators said. She recently brought the gold and silver medals she won in swimming at the 2017 Special Olympics BC Summer Games into the store to show her colleagues.

“You see the smile on her face when she wins an event and you can really recognize what a difference it makes to the athletes,” Duncan Staples Sales Manager Shannon Mischook said. She says the Staples team was very supportive of the Give a Toonie Share a Dream campaign and “enjoyed being able to share with our customers all the important work that Special Olympics does.”

At the Staples store in Langley, General Manager Ranj Sehdev had a creative way to raise funds for Special Olympics: letting his team purchase water balloons to throw at him.  

“One of our staff members is a softball pitcher, so he said ‘oh no!’ when she came up to throw a balloon,” Customer Service Lead Lisa Dick laughed.  

The Langley team also organized a silent auction supported by local vendors, a barbecue, and a car wash as part of the Give a Toonie Share a Dream campaign. Dick says it was a lot of fun and very rewarding to work with Special Olympics athletes.

“You can really tell that the sports the athletes play mean so much to them, and the look on their faces when they see what we raised is amazing,” she said.

In Penticton, Services Supervisor Staci McGill says the campaign really brought the store together. “People were there on their days off because they wanted to help,” she said.

To raise additional funds for Give a Toonie Share a Dream, Penticton staff members organized a barbecue, a silent auction, and a raffle with prizes donated from businesses in the community.

“We made a goal to at least double what we did last year and we did it,” said McGill.

Technology Sales Supervisor Ryan Whitehead says the Penticton team enjoyed the campaign so much they decided it would be “just the beginning” of their support for Special Olympics.

In July, McGill, Whitehead, SOBC – Penticton athlete and Staples staff member Shannon Baker, and team member Hunter Ehrecke made the five-hour journey from Penticton to Burnaby to participate in the Staples/Special Olympics BC Softball Tournament at Squint Lake Park.

This annual softball tournament saw 13 Special Olympics BC athletes join six teams of Staples employees for a day of friendly competition, inclusion, and sportsmanship. SOBC – Delta athlete Nick Johnston said he really enjoyed being part of the tournament, saying “it was a lot of fun!”

For McGill, the best part of the day was the team spirit of the athletes. “No matter what happened all the athletes were cheering each other on and supporting one another," she said. “People in Special Olympics are so positive and such go-getters, we just love it. And they put me to shame when it comes to athletics!"

We are so grateful to Staples Canada staff and customers for their support of Special Olympics through the Give a Toonie Share a Dream campaign and annual softball tournament. And our sincere thanks go out to all the athletes and volunteers across the province who gave their time and energy to make the campaign a success for Special Olympics!