SANFORD — Call it the luck or the Irish or just good old Maine generosity — or maybe it was a blend of both that saw folks dip into their wallets to benefit Waban over the weekend.

The Annual Waban Telethon took place on Saturday — St. Patrick’s Day — and the initial count at the end of the day was  $92,529  — nearly $1,000 more than in 2017.

But that wasn’t the final figure.

As Waban officials pointed out, more donations came in on Monday morning, bringing the total to  $95,562. 

Through the 47 years since the telethon began, more than $2.5 million has been raised to benefit Waban’s children’s programs, like the Fraser-Ford Child Development Center.

“Waban is exceptionally grateful and appreciative for all the tremendous support we received from all the volunteers and donors both before and during the telethon,” said Director Neal Meltzer. “These funds will be used to help support our children’s services, contribute towards the capital campaign for the Autism Therapy Wing, and be used in fundraising for some new playground equipment.”

The telethon was sponsored by St. Thérèse of Sanford and is heartily supported by the wider community.

There were lots of donations, from small ones to larger contributions. Doris and Val Grondin, who organize the popular “Pennies for Waban” campaign, collected $4,000, which was matched by General Electric, bringing that total to $8,000, said Waban spokeswoman Selena Brock. Evonik kicked in $3,500; Metrocast, $2,500; St. Therese of Lisieux Paris, $2,100; Patco, $2,000; O-N Enterprises, $2,000; $1,332  came in from the  Knights of Columbus; and $1,160 from Marc Motors. There were a host of $1,000 contributions, and a whole lot more in varying amounts.

Businesses supported the telethon with prizes for raffles — from furniture courtesy of Central Furniture and Landry’s Furniture Barn and many more, organizers said.

Telethon guests and viewers enjoyed the children from Fraser-Ford Child Development Center as they performed a rendition of Old MacDonald’s Farm, complete with costumes and pictures. 

Waban staff members Libby Ricker and Bonnie Leslie received the Waban Making a Difference Award for their committed and passionate service to Waban.

In the community category, the Waban Making a Difference Award was given to the City of Sanford and accepted by Mayor Tom Cote.

“The City of Sanford should be giving Waban an award for all the great work that Waban does for the children and adults of our community,” Cote said. 

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.