Johnston Group created the Advisor Charitable Match Program to team up with our advisors across the country who are supporting community initiatives that make a difference.
August 2024
Raising money can be an intricate dance of choosing a worthy cause, enticing people to donate, and putting in the work to help engage your community. Swinging with the Stars is an annual gala organized by Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation to raise funds to enhance healthcare services at Saskatoon City Hospital. They were ready to rhumba into their 2024 fundraising season, and Colton Wiegers was with them for every step.
“The sheer effort that the participants put into it is inspiring. They practice for two months straight, over 100 hours, they do their own fundraising, then they have to face their fears and perform in public,” says Colton.
The event pairs professional dance instructors with local “celebrities,” such as doctors, businesspeople, and other professionals from the community. They learn a dance routine and compete in front of a panel of judges. At the same time, they draw courage from the donations made by friends and neighbours.
“The people who run this unique event put in a huge amount of time, and it really engages the community in a different way,” says Colton.
Colton Wiegers is a local advisor for Chambers Plan employee benefits and CEO of Wiegers Financial & Benefits based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
In 2024, Wiegers Financial & Benefits supported Chris Sikorsky’s performance, matching the funds Chris had raised himself. Then Johnston Group, the company that administers Chambers Plan, gladly matched the Wiegers Financial & Benefits contribution through the Johnston Group Advisor Charitable Match Program, which supports local charitable organizations.
The Wiegers first got involved with Swinging with the Stars when Colton’s dad Cliff Wiegers was recruited as a community dancer. “Cliff performed to ‘Sexy and I Know It’ while wearing tearaway pants with skin-coloured tights underneath,” says Colton. “It was a crowd favourite, and it really showed the fun side of fundraising.
Funds raised by Swinging with the Stars are used to meet specific needs identified by the hospital, like new equipment, additional resources and updated technology. In the past five years, they have raised more than $1,000,000 for several hospital departments. In 2024, Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation focused on their eye care centre, which restores and repairs vision for everyone from infants up to adults.
“At the end of the day, this is about providing the best possible care; not just adequate care,” says Colton. “That’s especially true when it comes to kids. And that’s where we, as a community, come in.”
