What does 2334 people gathered into the shape of a J in Spencer Smith Park look like?

News 100 redBy Pepper Parr

October 3, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

 

What does 2334 people gathered together in the shape of a J in Spencer Smith Park look like?

You saw it here first in the Gazette.

aerial-shot-reduced

An additional 1039 people could have filled those empty patches. There is an opportunity for those who didn’t take part to do the right thing with the Paletta Matching $5 million campaign goes into high gear.

Was the reason for falling short of that 3373 + 1 target because of the weather?

There were a number of hearty souls who braved the rain – and it was raining when the first 700 people showed up,

Or was there some other reason – it would be useful for the hospital to fully understand why we didn’t exceed the target.

Is support for the hospital a mile while but just an inch thick?

They will say of course it isn’t – it’s a mile wide and a mile deep. The Gazette doesn’t share that view. It could be and should be a mile wide and a mile deep.

That it does not appear to be so is a serious issue for this community.

Medicine is science; science is based on facts and evidence. It would be worth the while to look at the evidence.

The 2334 total was nothing to sneeze at – but when you look at that magnificent J – there are a lot of empty patches aren’t there?

Why?

inside-the-rope

The objective was to get 3373 + 1 people inside that yellow rope so the person in the cherry picker could verify the count – we have no idea how they did that.

In a media release the hospital Foundation said:

The Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation kicked off its “Join the J” fundraising campaign yesterday in Spencer Smith Park with over 2,334 people forming a giant J. In large part due to significant rain, the attempt fell just short of the goal of breaking a Guinness world record for creating the largest human letter.

However, the Foundation’s primary goal of raising awareness for the start of its fundraising campaign was met and those in attendance had a good time, learned about the campaign, and the new Joseph Brant Hospital.

“We were on track and expected to set the Guinness record today, but not surprisingly the weather kept a number of community participants away,” says Anissa Hilborn, president, Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation. “The real goal of engaging people from across our community to launch “Join the J” in a unique way was definitely met. We are encouraged by the support from so many members of our community.”

The “Join the J” campaign will run until the goal of $60 Million is raised. The Foundation recently announced they have raised $50 Million to date, and with the Pasquale & Anita Paletta Family Match Challenge hope to raise the remaining $10M before the new Hospital opens in 2018-2019.

kids-in-ponchos

It was a great time for the kids – rain and rubber boots plus a nifty poncho – that was all they needed to make a day of it.

“We had planned for a number of factors, including the weather, but you can’t always anticipate how people will respond in these situations,” adds Hilborn. “The event was still fun, and we want to thank all those who made the effort, and our sponsors and partners including TD, Hill’s Video, Access Storage, City of Burlington, Super Save Group, Bell Media, Burlington Mall, Kernels Mapleview Mall, Access Printing and Attridge Transportation. Everyone has been very supportive and we look forward to their continued support as we have many more events and initiatives planned for the months ahead.”getting new - yellow

 

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3 comments to What does 2334 people gathered into the shape of a J in Spencer Smith Park look like?

  • penny Hersh

    Totally agree with the comment about considering what was taking place in the community at the same time. Aside from The Run for the Cure it was also Open Doors Burlington.

    The day of the Great Bed Race it was also the Terry Fox Run……Communication seems to be an issue.

  • Dave

    Yes, many factors as to the turnout: weather, other events, people are busy, some just aren’t interested in getting involved in events like that. Just look at that “J” though; that’s pretty cool — an accomplishment in itself! That will be looked back at as a fun part of Burlington’s history in future years, especially for the kids. “Remember when…”

    Let Queen’s University hold their well-deserved record for a year or two, then Burlington can try again.

    (FYI: the bulk of the orange rain ponchos left behind at the park (pictured in previous article) were gathered and dropped off for recycling at a private company.)

  • CMG

    Did anyone consider what else was going on in the community at the same time? The Run for the Cure was also taking place on Sunday. Hard to be two places at once. Both were equally important, but there is only so much community to go around.