Retired doc goes extra mile, raises $123K for arts groups

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This article was published 16/11/2020 (2125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dr. Douglas MacEwan is proof that you can do a lot of good one step at a time.

Since July, the Second World War veteran and retired radiologist has been taking a daily walk around his Tuxedo neighbourhood with the goal of travelling 96 kilometres and raising $100,000 for the Manitoba Opera, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra — all organizations of which MacEwan is a longtime patron.

On Remembrance Day — his 96th birthday — he crossed the finish line and surpassed both his goals by walking 109 km and raising more than $123,000.

“I am very happy to have reached my goal and to have inspired others to donate to the campaign,” MacEwan said in a media release. “And to have been joined on my daily walks by so many artists and other hard-working members of our artistic community was such a treat.”

The fundraising campaign began when a friend, who has remained anonymous, offered to donate $500 for every kilometre MacEwan walked to a cause of his choosing. The donor pitched in an extra $500 for every day the active senior found a walking partner. The endowment has been further topped up by donations from the community.

“Dr. MacEwan’s initiative was really about the value he sees that the arts have played in the community and in his life,” said Larry Desrochers, Manitoba Opera’s general director and chief executive officer. “And to know that there are other people out there who really value the work that these organizations do in the community, (even if) it’s a difficult time right now.”

The four arts groups were planning an in-person celebration of MacEwan’s achievement last week, but the event was cancelled owing to the impending lockdown.

The funds raised will be split equally among the organizations. Manitoba Opera has yet to decide how it will allocate the gift, but “it’s certainly going to be beneficial.”

Beyond the monetary value, MacEwan’s campaign has been a beacon of hope for the future.

“It’s such an act of generosity, how can it not inspire hope?” Desrochers said. “I believe that art has always played a role in people’s lives and it will continue to do so as we work through the pandemic.”

Community donations are being collected until Nov. 30 at mbopera.ca/a-walk-for-the-arts.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney