Article in the The Lindsay Daily Post Online Edition May 16, 2007
Catherine Whitnall
DUNSFORD - Vic Wilbee is helping children around the world sleep better.
For four years, the Kennedy Bay Road resident has been collecting aluminum beverage cans for Murray Dryden’s Sleeping Children Around the World.
Dryden learned first hand how vital a few hours of comfort and sleep could be in battling extreme temperature, hopelessness, illness and hunger when he travelled east from Manitoba seeking work during the Great Depression of the 1930s. That experience later made him determined to ensure a good night’s sleep is a basic right of every child.
It led him to develop Sleeping Children Around the World with his wife, Margaret, in 1970. A retirement project, they decided to provide bedkits first to 50 children in India. The concept quickly grew and became their life focus.
Since its founding, Sleeping Children has raised more than $17 million to provide bedkits for more than 700,000 children in 31 developing countries.
Wilbee admitted he has a long way to go before he’s able to fundraise to that extent, but he’s honoured to do his part. Last year, with the help of family, friends and neighbours - as well as generous strangers who learned of the project by word of mouth - Wilbee raised $3,000 by collecting aluminum beverage cans. Considering each can is worth one-and-a-half cents, that’s pretty impressive.
“It sounds like a lot, but it’s amazing how quickly it adds up,” he noted.
Learning of the Drydens and their work from an acquaintance, Wilbee thought it was such a great cause he decided to get involved.
“I think the best thing about Sleeping Children Around the World is that 100 per cent of what is raised goes to help the children,” he said. “Even the people who go there don’t get any financial support. They have to totally pay their own way.”
With everyone’s help, Wilbee said it’s not long before his bins fill up with a variety of aluminum beverage cans. Wilbee also takes cast aluminum barbecues and almost anything else made of aluminum, copper or brass. He has recently added the large metal satellite dishes and scrap cars to the list - the latter of which is split with Sleeping Children to cover towing and incidental costs.
Wilbee said every little bit counts.
“Four years ago, I collected $300 worth of aluminum beverage cans and I thought that was great,” he said, noting each $30 donation (Canadian) provides a bedkit of a mat or mattress, pillow, sheet, blanket, mosquito net (if applicable), clothing outfit, towel and school supplies. Kit contents vary from country to country depending on local needs.
Individuals and groups are urged to save their aluminum beverage cans and put them in clear plastic bags. They can drop them off in Wilbee’s 18 Deerwood Ave. driveway or call him at 793-9955. People can also e-mail Vic. Those donating scrap cars or unwanted satellite dishes - which are dismantled and sold for scrap metal just like the cans and cars - are asked to call Jim Foster at 793-2004.
For more information on Sleeping Children e-mail SCAW.
