City council members are not strangers to having egg on their faces. But in a couple of weeks, six of them could actually walk away with a face full of something sweeter.
As part of their annual fundraising efforts for the Children's Miracle Network, the local TD Canada Trust branch is hosting a chance for residents to get councillors square in the kisser with a cream-filled pie on June 13.
Councillors Lyn Hall, Murry Krause, Dave Wilbur, Cameron Stolz, Albert Koehler and Garth Frizzell have all signed on to participate in the two-hour event in the 400 Victoria St. branch's back parking lot between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Details are still being worked out, but branch manager Martina Humphrey said participants will be able to donate an amount of money (likely between $10 and $20) to toss a foil shell weighted with a sponge and filled with cream at a board designed to look like a councillor standing behind a podium that each politician will stick their face through.
"TD is supplying most of the hard costs for the event and all the money raised goes directly to Children's Miracle Network," Humphrey said.
"Each branch is responsible for doing grassroots fundraising, which includes Jeans Days as well as a fundraising event," she added.
This particular event started a couple of years ago, when the branch brought a TD executive up from Vancouver to face the pies.
This year, Humphrey said she initially floated the idea past members of council with whom she attends Yellowhead Rotary Club meetings.
"She asked whether I would be interested in being part of something like that. I said 'Sure, if it's a fundraiser, I'm part of it,'" said Koehler.
"They were just all over it," Humphrey said. "So enthusiastic about community events and about something that gives them a chance to let people have a bit of fun and raise some money for a great cause."
"This is an opportunity to hit a politician straight on with your issues, with your questions, your concerns and with your lovely tasting dessert as well," Frizzell said.
A kid at heart, part of the reason he owns a toy store, Stolz said it's a good way to mesh a fondness for kids and a fundraising opportunity.
"You can't take yourself too seriously, you can't take this job too seriously. You have to have fun with it. And if you aren't having fun, then why are you here?" he said. "So what better way to have fun and at the same time raise money for a great cause."
Krause was involved with charities prior to his work with the Central Interior Native Health Society.
"You always want to help out," he said, adding he hopes people will be gentle. "Some things can be fun and the goal is to participate with my colleagues in something fun and raise money at the same time."
It wasn't difficult to say yes, according to Wilbur.
"It's a good opportunity to do something for the kids in the north and I look forward to being a big target," he said.
Frizzell was confident as he threw down the gauntlet.
"This is the off year for the World Baseball Challenge so I expect nobody to come up and actually hit me square on," he said. "I'm going to put a challenge out there to anybody to come and give it a try."
It might be fun to auction off pies tosses, added Stolz.
"We could have a popularity contest of who needs to get hit the most with the pies," he said.
