How far will one guy go to raise money for a most worthy cause?
In the case of Ted Dawes, it’s not how far. It’s how high, how often. Although there is an aspect of how far involved here, as well. Confused? Read on.
A longtime employee of Minute Maid in Peterborough, Dawes took to the roof of Morello’s Independent Grocer in May 2024 for a 20th time, raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, every penny brought in destined for research.
Supported by his work union, United Food and Commercial Workers International, Dawes’s annual long weekend rooftop stay had brought in some $400,000 over the years prior.
Why Morello’s? Simple. Holly, his wife of 39 years, is a longtime employee of the east Peterborough grocery store, while owners Dave and Kim Morello have been, and remain, staunch supporters of Dawes’ fundraising efforts.
In 2009, Dawes deviated from his Ted on the Roof script, opting to undertake Ted on the Road and walking from Parliament Hill in Ottawa to Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital. In addition, Ted at Your Door has seen Dawes go door-to-door for donations, while Ted on the BBQ has seen him flip burgers and the like for the cause that remains near and dear to his heart.
Back in 2011, when Relly on the Roof took flight atop The Brick as a fundraiser for the United Way initially and later for Habitat for Humanity, newbie ‘roofer’ Paul Rellinger was quick to praise Dawes for blazing the roof fundraising path along with Al Harding, who raised money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation for years prior from his perch atop Canadian Tire.
“The best ideas are stolen…and I stole this one,” admitted Rellinger, crediting both men for their dedication to their respective causes, and for voicing their support of the new kid on the roof.
While Ted should be applauded for his years of roofing for an important cause, he’d no doubt shrug such praise off, noting his greatest achievement has been, and remains, his and Holly’s raising of Corey, Chris and Caitlyn, coupled with their enduring love for their grandchildren, Jayde and Sophia.