Post by jhendrix70 on Apr 27, 2011 10:50:52 GMT -5
Jetsowner Extra: Can You Find Darren Ford? ( Article Below )
Jets wouldn't stay for love nor money Nobody got ripped off
1995 donations to save team refunded or invested in community
Nothing epitomized the efforts to save the Winnipeg Jets in 1995 like the kids coming down to Portage and Main to smash open their piggy banks.
They were joined in their quest by thousands of adults as well as many corporations that got out their credit cards and chequebooks when they were told they had to pony up or else the Jets were goners. In just a few days that spring, the fundraising campaign pulled in more than $13 million but ultimately it wasn't enough to keep the team. After one final lame-duck season, the Jets were off to Phoenix.
But what ever happened to the money? Is it sitting in a trust somewhere piling up interest? Is it being made available to Mark Chipman and David Thomson for their possible purchase of a team for Winnipeg? Does some bank owe a bunch of us a whole pile of money?
Memories from a decade-and-a-half ago get fuzzier by the year but a straw poll of leaders from the Spirit of Manitoba -- the formal name of the group that tried to keep the team here -- found two very important things. First, the vast majority of the money was given back to the donors, either by returning cheques or reversing charges on their credit cards. Second, whatever was left over -- the change from piggy banks and stray bills crumpled into donation jars -- is long gone, too.
The good news, however, is that the good will for the Jets went to a good cause. Scott Sime, vice-president of marketing and engagement at the United Way of Winnipeg, said the leftover proceeds -- roughly $31,000 -- was donated to its local office and earmarked for after-school programs and mentoring for inner-city kids. These programs welcome about 1,500 kids each and every day.
"It was invested in the community straight away and it did a lot of good," Sime said. "We're thrilled with any amount of donation but to fall into a donation of that size is quite remarkable."
CJOB, the longtime radio home to the Jets, became the fundraising headquarters for the Save The Jets campaign by default. Garth Buchko, general manager of the station, said he was involved in many meetings with the Spirit of Manitoba brain trust back then as they strategized about how to increase corporate support for the team. When it started broadcasting live from The Forks for 16 hours a day, with an all Jets, all the time concept, fans starting coming down to the station in droves. Some carried jars of pennies while wealthy business people stroked cheques ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.
"It morphed into something way larger than anybody expected. It was an enormous amount of money. We became part of it almost by accident," he said.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Save The Jets: The prequel
It might be hard to believe but there were actually two "Save The Jets" rallies. The first one, which might be really testing the memories of long-time fans, occurred late in the team's second season in the World Hockey Association.
The team was losing money in early 1974 when Ben Hatskin decided to sell it to a community-owned group for $2.3 million. The City of Winnipeg agreed to lend the group $300,000 but the rest had to come from the general public.
People flocked to the Marlborough Hotel in early June to buy membership shares for $25 while large companies were asked to make interest-free "Founders" loans. By the end of the month, thanks to a last-minute push, the team was saved. At least, for the next 22 years.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 27, 2011 C4
Jets wouldn't stay for love nor money Nobody got ripped off
1995 donations to save team refunded or invested in community
Nothing epitomized the efforts to save the Winnipeg Jets in 1995 like the kids coming down to Portage and Main to smash open their piggy banks.
They were joined in their quest by thousands of adults as well as many corporations that got out their credit cards and chequebooks when they were told they had to pony up or else the Jets were goners. In just a few days that spring, the fundraising campaign pulled in more than $13 million but ultimately it wasn't enough to keep the team. After one final lame-duck season, the Jets were off to Phoenix.
But what ever happened to the money? Is it sitting in a trust somewhere piling up interest? Is it being made available to Mark Chipman and David Thomson for their possible purchase of a team for Winnipeg? Does some bank owe a bunch of us a whole pile of money?
Memories from a decade-and-a-half ago get fuzzier by the year but a straw poll of leaders from the Spirit of Manitoba -- the formal name of the group that tried to keep the team here -- found two very important things. First, the vast majority of the money was given back to the donors, either by returning cheques or reversing charges on their credit cards. Second, whatever was left over -- the change from piggy banks and stray bills crumpled into donation jars -- is long gone, too.
The good news, however, is that the good will for the Jets went to a good cause. Scott Sime, vice-president of marketing and engagement at the United Way of Winnipeg, said the leftover proceeds -- roughly $31,000 -- was donated to its local office and earmarked for after-school programs and mentoring for inner-city kids. These programs welcome about 1,500 kids each and every day.
"It was invested in the community straight away and it did a lot of good," Sime said. "We're thrilled with any amount of donation but to fall into a donation of that size is quite remarkable."
CJOB, the longtime radio home to the Jets, became the fundraising headquarters for the Save The Jets campaign by default. Garth Buchko, general manager of the station, said he was involved in many meetings with the Spirit of Manitoba brain trust back then as they strategized about how to increase corporate support for the team. When it started broadcasting live from The Forks for 16 hours a day, with an all Jets, all the time concept, fans starting coming down to the station in droves. Some carried jars of pennies while wealthy business people stroked cheques ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.
"It morphed into something way larger than anybody expected. It was an enormous amount of money. We became part of it almost by accident," he said.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Save The Jets: The prequel
It might be hard to believe but there were actually two "Save The Jets" rallies. The first one, which might be really testing the memories of long-time fans, occurred late in the team's second season in the World Hockey Association.
The team was losing money in early 1974 when Ben Hatskin decided to sell it to a community-owned group for $2.3 million. The City of Winnipeg agreed to lend the group $300,000 but the rest had to come from the general public.
People flocked to the Marlborough Hotel in early June to buy membership shares for $25 while large companies were asked to make interest-free "Founders" loans. By the end of the month, thanks to a last-minute push, the team was saved. At least, for the next 22 years.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 27, 2011 C4
