Leo Deveau came to Elliot Lake to retire a few years ago. Then he got involved in Snowarama as a member of the Elliot Lake Snowbirds snowmobile club, just to get a toque.
"If you raised $100 you got a toque so I raised $180 and won a toque."
But something happened after that.
"I met an Easter seals ambassador. She broke my heart when I realized I was doing it for the wrong reason. The second year, I raised $3,245. This year Moose FM is sponsoring me," he said.
"I have raised over $3,600 so far," he said. "$2,100 from people shopping at No Frills and another $1,500, mainly from local small businesses."
He said he's been circulating among local businesses to raise donations.
"I went to one business and they gave me $100. I went to his landlord and he gave me another $100. Then I went to another place that was a competitor to the first and got another $100."
Originally from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Leo and his wife Aline moved to Ontario and lived in Markestay for several years on a hobby farm.
When he moved to Elliot Lake he found people were very generous.
"You remember Darla Hennessey? She raised $30,000 for her grandchild," he said.
For Easter Seals, there are only two paid employees staffing the Sudbury office which covers the vast area between Muskoka and James Bay.
"One of the most satisfying rewards I have seen when I'm sitting there talking to people is when a person comes up and says they know somebody in their family who used Easter Seals," Deveau concluded.
He'll be on hand at No Frills on Hwy 108 from Feb. 7 to 11, meeting people and collecting donations.