Who is the Person of the Year? Who made the biggest difference in our lives in this terrible year of 2020?
At this time every year we are asked “Who is the Person of the Year?” In a year that has been so different than any other, maybe we need to look at our response differently.
That brings us to an answer that might seem trite, but is the best way to look back at 2020.
Who is the Person of the Year? We all are. Every single person on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. We were thrown a once-in-a-lifetime challenge and we rose to it, almost as a single body.
Our collective response to the pandemic has been heartwarming. We did not want the restrictions, but we faced them with commitment and determination. As a result of our efforts, the infection rate here has been much lower than elsewhere in Canada.
Yes, some among us tried to find ways to skirt the temporary orders and guidelines, just as some like to believe that there is no risk when they drive drunk or distracted. But those people are very much in the minority. For the most part, we are seeing a strong commitment to help each other through this.
We have recognized that we are all in this together. We are doing all that we can to help others. We have contributed to dozens of charities to ensure they can continue their fine work. Many fundraising efforts on the Island have reported increased donations in 2020, a year when it would be reasonable to expect a drop.
With the Rapid Relief Fund and the Times Colonist Christmas Fund, you have been generous. The two funds raised $7.2 million, a remarkable show of community support.
In between those two drives, the Times Colonist Literacy Society raised $125,000. Small stuff compared to the two big fundraisers, but we did it in a year when we could not collect, sort and sell used books. Again, the credit goes to all of you.
As the 2020 Times Colonist Christmas Fund winds down, it might be hard to comprehend the response of the community. By the close of business on Wednesday, the fund had reached $1.18 million. The previous high, way back in 2019, was $352,000. By comparison, the Toronto Star, a somewhat larger newspaper in a somewhat larger community, raised $1.6 million. The difference? You.
But it’s not all about numbers, or money. It’s about attitude, and the way we have pulled together to help each other through the pandemic. We are here for each other. We care.
This has not been a short-term crisis, like the infamous snow storm of 1996, when we looked after each other for a few days. The pandemic’s impact hit us in March and even with vaccines being rolled out, there is no end in sight.
But we will make it. Together, we can do this — and we will emerge stronger than ever.
Tonight, as we celebrate the arrival of 2021 and say good riddance to 2020, we will gather using online video chat and lift our masks to drink a toast. But we will stay the course, just as we have for oh so many months.
Vancouver Island is a wonderful place to live, and it’s not just because of the climate, as nice as it is. People here care about the community, and a community is not a place, it is people. We should be proud to live here.
The people of the Island — you and you and you — are worthy of recognition on this last day of the worst year we can remember. You are the People of the Year. Congratulations.
