Every so often, Toronto’s kids receive a cup of kindness.
It comes in the form of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies and toonies found on the ground by Dr. Jaanus Marley and his wife, Reet, during evening constitutionals in their Beach neighbourhood.
Instead of pocketing the found change, the couple collects it in a big old brown coffee cup and, when it runneth over, donates it to the Fresh Air Fund.
And every penny counts.
“We give to the Fresh Air Fund because the money is found while we’re walking in the fresh air,” the general practitioner said of the contribution.
Over the years, he and his wife have donated several hundred dollars to the camp fund. If the cup is full by winter, the Marleys offer its contents to the Toronto Star’s Santa Claus Fund.
“In some customs, giving away found money is good luck,” Marley said.
It certainly is for Greater Toronto’s disadvantaged children. Thanks to donors like the Marleys, kids can still be kids by attending one of 106 camps supported by the Fresh Air Fund, regardless of their family’s income.
