I have fond memories of singing in the New Albert School choir for many years. I remember my mom ironing my white blouse and red patterned skirt as we began to watch the broadcast on TV. I was excited to pick out the Christmas corsage out that I would pin on my blouse. Mrs. Linda Hazen, our choir director and music teacher would meet us at the front of the school on Duke St. and we would excitedly load the school bus. Once we arrived at the CHSJ, we would file in to the small lobby and into a holding room to warm up our voices. The room was charged with excitement! Once we were beckoned to Studio 8, we would sing beautifully. Singing to help children, like us. I even remember the words of the songs after all those years. One song in particular, Stars That Twinkle and Shine! After, Mrs. Hazen would provide a treat of a cookie on the bus ride home. My grandparents would share how wonderfully we looked and sang upon arriving home.
Now, as an adult, I volunteer on the phones and receipt table and enjoy every moment. I am very proud of our heritage and how one hundred years ago, my great grandfather began a legacy of giving.
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Christine
4/12/2012 10:49:02 pm
As a child and even now, I always looked forward to watching the Empty Stocking Fund. It never got old or became tiring. We would have it on in our home all day and we all would sit and watch for periods of time wandering in and out of the TV room. However, no matter where we were in the house, we could always hear it. It always gave me such a good feeling, reminding me of the true meaning of Christmas.
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Kathy Molloy
4/13/2012 02:47:24 am
I began my Empty Stocking Fund experiences by taking my students first to the CHSJ building, then to Brunswick Square and in recent broadcasts to Saint John High School. When I wasn't actually on stage with my choirs I would be listening on the radio in the car ride to and from the broadcast site or watching on TV at home.
My fondest memory was having someone at the broadcast come running up to me and saying they had heard a pledge read from Erin Molloy in China. The broadcast can now be heard via the internet around the world!!!
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Sandra (Ervin) Friars, Jacob's grandmother
4/13/2012 08:00:56 am
To me The Empty Stocking Fund is the official start of the Christmas season. From the days of gathering around the radio, to the excitement of the first TV broadcast, Natalie and Margo singing with their New Albert School choir and then the heart wrenching song “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot”, these are part of my favourite memories.
This appeal never grows old. The need is still there as it was 100 years ago and thanks to those who faithfully respond each year to help make Christmas for the many families in need.
Personally, it is also an emotional day as I remember family members who are no longer with us, especially Jacob’s grandfather, Rodney (Butch) Ervin whose memory we hold dear.
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Barb Huskins, Family Friend
4/13/2012 12:01:19 pm
Our Family always looked forward to the Annual Broadcast, and when our kids, Bonnie & Allan, would be in a choir, we would get so exasperated with the camera man. We would say "over to the right...you are leaving a lot of kids out!!" Most of the little people sang in the day time, and then in the evening the big talents would take center stage. I would try to get the supper dishes done, and my husband would say "come in, you've got to hear this girl, etc"
I think back to that stormy cold night when Dutch Ervin saw those children looking in the window with the knowledge that they would never be able to afford those Christmas items. But little did they know they were the catalyst that started the whole ball rolling. We will never know who they were, but we do know who picked up the ball and began writing the stories about them and the needs all around us - Mr. "Dutch" Ervin! And look how far we have come!!
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Sharron (Friars) Hopey Relative by Marriage
4/14/2012 10:33:42 am
My memories of the Empty Stocking Fund Broadcast is the excitement of being on T.V. My Sister and I dressed up in our very best clothes (Navy Blue Skirt and a White Blouse with my sister's jewellery. We thought we were Stars. We were part of the audience and then we were in a choir. As we grew up and had children of our own, they were in the choirs and that the day I'd listen to the Music and send in a donation so our kids could hear their names and know they were helping. I see the Grandchildren of "Dutch"Erwin working behind the scenes on the Program now. I know they have the same generous compassion to help people. Thank you, Jacob for giving me a chance to reminise.
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Kathryn Lynch
4/15/2012 09:32:35 am
Every year I look forward to the Empty Stocking Fund. I love listening to the beautiful Christmas music and seeing the children dressed up in their finest attire. The best part of the broadcast is that it reminds me that the joy of giving and helping those in need is what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. It makes me very happy knowing that the money raised by the Empty Stocking Fund will provide children who are less fortunate with gifts under their tree.
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ed lawrence
1/2/2015 10:37:20 pm
are you the Kathy Lynch who lived on Regent street? many years ago?
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Susan Gallant
4/15/2012 09:33:34 am
One of my favourite memories of the Empty Stocking Fund was being a part of the audience when it was staged at the CHSJ Radio & Television Studio uptown seeing the sets all brightly decorated with lots of tress trimmed was magical. I always liked to watch it on TV too and always waited to see Grace and her pretty christmas corsages. Today the Empty Stocking Fund marks the start of the holiday season with all of my boxes being pulled out from the basement to start decorating the house for the holidays while the sounds of Christmas play on the TV. Calling the magic number and waiting to hear your pledge always made you feel good too. Loved the ones from Boo Boo the cat. The Empty Stocking Fund is a part of all Saint Johners that carries very dear memories.
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Allan Huskins
4/15/2012 11:03:56 pm
Magical is a word that comes to mind when I think of the ESF. One memory is when I was chosen by New Albert School to "present the cheque ". The interviewer asked me questions. One was "Where are you from ?" I nervously said "Saint John." Everyone in the choir behind me groaned ! Of course, the interviewer wanted me to say the school I was from !
I also loved to listen to the radio afterwards (TV broadcast was finished) to hear the final total ! It always seemed like such a huge number and reflected the generosity of Saint Johners.
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Theresa (TeeTee) MacAllister
4/16/2012 06:42:56 am
I worked with the ESF for 42 years; and as most are saying, it was the beginning of our Christmas Season. I first volunteered to bag goodies for the children; then when working at the paper office after I graduated, I was worked on the pledge lines; and then for 25 years (after Missie Evans retirement) I was given the task of telephone co-ordinator. It was a very exciting time ..!! I hope it continues on for many years to come.
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Pearson Friars
4/16/2012 12:04:18 pm
I was born in Saint John in 1941 and we lived at 26 Fallsview Ave. The house is no longer there as the area is more of a Reversing Falls look-off. Christmas at 26 Fallsview was an exciting time of year, there were six of us kids and we usually received a toy and a bag of candy with some fruit and possibly a pig sticker which was a sled built of wood which was only 3 inches off the ground but they were really fast. I guess it would be around 1948 when I started to notice there was a broadcast on CHSJ radio station (no TV back then) called the Empty Stocking Fund which I listened to over our old Sparton radio receiver. As the years went by the broadcast marked the beginning of the Christmas season and the funds donated were used to provide food, clothing and toys for those who required assistance. The Empty Stocking Fund was broadcast on CHSJ TV shortly after the station went on the air in the mid fifties in Saint John. As I grew up it was always a good time to listen to or watch the Empty Stocking Broadcast along with all of the performances by local talent from the Uncle Bill show or the Jennie Woods show and other talent such as Davy Longmyre. As the years passed the gifts continued to grow each year and continues to do so.
Christmas came to those in need because other cared.
Pearson
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Jane (Doiron) Lockhart
11/12/2023 08:15:39 pm
My sister and I Cheryl and Jane (The Doiron sisters) sang on Time for Juniors for many years. Jene would call our mother about once a month to be on the show. She liked our singing because we harmonized. We also sang on The Empty Stocking Fund and one year after we had sung our song and gone home a gentleman called and said he would pledge $100.00 if we would come back and sing Silent Night. We raced back. We travelled to the base in Oromocto and sang for the officers and their families, it was great fun. Fantastic memories. We sang on her show until my sister graduated from high school.
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Alan and Debbie Dickeson
4/17/2012 12:03:22 am
Alan’s first experience with the Empty Stocking Fund was when he sang with the Boys and Girls Club and got all dressed up in his gray flannels, a tie or a bow tie and white shirt (your Sunday best!). When we entered elementary school we both participated with our school’s choirs: Alan with Prince Charles and I was with Barnhill. We can remember the teachers telling us to be quiet because another choir was performing at that time. There was so much excitement everywhere; from the pretty lights, the decorated Christmas tree and the cameras!!
As we got older in school, the Empty Stocking Fund became a competition between schools and each school trying to raise more money than the other schools. It was fun to hear your name, your friend’s name and your school’s name on television and then to hear that final magical number at the end, well everyone would start to cheer!! It also meant that the Christmas Season was about to begin.
The tradition was carried on with our two boys: Shawn and David, as they sang with their school choir; Rothesay Elementary and later on with the District 6 Honour Choir. They looked so cute dressed in their black pants and white dress shirts and yes the teachers still tell everyone to be quiet because another choir was performing.
The Empty Stocking Fund is a very important part of Christmas and continues to help those in need.
Jacob you are doing a great job in honouring your great-great grandfather!!
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Mark Blucher
4/23/2012 08:18:41 pm
Each year the Empty Stocking Fund is an event I look forward to watching ever since I was a child. I would love to watch my friends from the Rothesay Elementary School choir perform each year and since becoming a teacher watching the children in the schools I have worked perform each year. A wonderful local event for such a great cause. Thanks Jacob for teaching me more about the history of the man that made this event become a Saint John tradition.
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Luan Salmon
4/23/2012 10:22:29 pm
I remember first performing on the Empty Stocking Fund at CHSJ as a young girl with my school choir. It was always so exciting to got here!! We always wore a pretty corsage on our blouse and I always felt so special. I later went on to perform as a soloist for many years as a teenager. Now, as a music teacher, I look forward to taking my own school choirs to the ESF. It is such a wonderful cause and a great experience for the kids and myself!!
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Trina Goguen
4/30/2012 08:08:50 pm
I remember taking part in The Empty Stocking Fund as a young child in school and the excitement that always surrounded the special day. As part of the school choir, we would practice for months with our director, Mr.Malloy. He would encourage us week after week to sing like angels as he accompanied us on his piano. I can still picture the classroom today. It was always such an important and meaningful event for our school. The day before performing, everyone in the school would wait with great anticipation to hear how much money the school raised. There was always a loud cheer throughout the school when the amount was announced. It was always such an honor to present the cheque to the organizers of the Empty Stocking Fund that every child hoped to be the one chosen to give the cheque. Today it is with great pride that I sit in the seats of Saint john High School and watch my own children take part in the event with their school. The day is filled with the same excitement and importance as it was for me as a child and I look forward to seeing the event every year. It has helped so many families. It is a true example of a community coming together to help one another and the difference that one person's ambition can make.
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Linda Oliver
5/9/2012 10:16:19 pm
I have many fond memories of the Empty Stocking Fund, always watching it every year to hear all the soloists, young and older, all the school choirs and hearing the announcers calling out the pledges. My sister, brother and I even auditioned one year to sing on the show. Jeannie Wood was doing the auditions back then. We did not quite make it on the show but we got to sing on her show, Time for Juniors on CHSJ television. We sang "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas." That was a big highlight for me as I was only 8 or 9 at the time. And I've been singing ever since. I still watch the show every year while I am doing my christmas decorating since the show is always around the end of November leading up to my birthday in December.
I have great memories of the excitement of singing on the broadcast at the old CHSJ studios on Crown Street as a young girl. Each Xmas, my family watched the ESF and it just never would seem like Xmas without it.
Now that I am older and have my own children, I have now had the pleasure of watching my son and daughter sing on the broadcast, both at Brunswick Square and Saint John High School. We always decorate our home when the ESF is on as it just really puts you in the spirit. I can't ever imagine the holiday season without it. Seeing all the children perform to help those in need is a really special thing.
I'm very glad you've done this project and I look forward to seeing the article in the paper. I am sure your great great grandfather would be very happy to see the tradition he began carrying on and very proud of you for honouring him in this way. Well done!
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sandi Sheppard
10/21/2012 02:09:35 pm
I have memories so far back. Long before television we used to listen to Uncle Bill and the Empty Stocking Fun on the radio. We lived in Sussex where my father was stationed with the 8th Hussars and my mom would send in our pledge and we would wait patiently for our names to come over the radio. My brother Mac and I would sit in front of the radio for hours waiting. In those days a radio had a ground and if you touched the ground with your toes (which we did frequently) the radio went dead until you took your toe away.
One year we did it at the wrong time and missed our names after Lord knows how long we had waited. My father called "Uncle Bill" and explained (he had worked with him at some point) and our names were called again. We were so excited. That had to be about 60 years ago. In those days the pledges were 50 cents and a dollar. A big pledge was 5 or 10 dollars. What a wonderful time it was for a child. I remember my Nana trying to tell us what was important about the fund and what it was used for but we were so young we really didnt understand until much later.
My love for the Empty Stocking Fund began as a toddler when I would watch my father, Bob McKinney, play piano and conduct the Forest Hills Elementary School choir and Recorder Group live at CHSJ every year. The hosts knew my dad well as he brought his school choir to the show for well over 30 years! One year, he taped signs onto the inside lapels of his jacket to get the kids to smile. They read, "Smile Please". It worked! The hosts noticed my father's antics and had the live audience in stitches when they revealed on live TV what "Mr. McKinney" was up to! I thought everyone who appeared on The Empty Stocking Fund, including my dad, were celebrities.
I was over the moon when I got to perform on the show for my first time in 1981 with my Kindergarten class. I remember that we sang "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" and thinking that Santa himself was watching and making sure I did a good job! Several years later, I performed with Kevin Langford's Honour Choir. Every time I participated, I was in amazed by the buzz of the back stage scene. It was a wonderful mix of organized chaos and passion. Live TV at its best! I miss it.
In my early teens, I had the privilege of singing solos with my dad as my accompanist. I remember singing, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" a day after having a strange contraption installed on the roof of my mouth by my orthodontist. Needless to say, I sang with a bit of a lisp! The following year I sang "The Christmas Song" in teeth braces. Another year, I planned on making my appearance in white pants but spilled pizza all over them in the car so my mother raced to the studio with a crazy pair of red and green plaid pants as a replacement. They looked like something Rodney Dangerfield would have worn to a holiday season golf tournament! We laugh about it now.
From 1991-1993 I remember being granted the ultimate honour of being the last performer on the show. My mom took time to explain to me how important this was because it was the last on air opportunity to get people to donate to this incredibly important cause. It was during those years that I finally fully understood the importance of The Empty Stocking Fund. I sang "Worship The King" during these years and trembled each time, praying I'd that high note at the end. I didn't want to let anyone down.
I still watch The Empty Stocking Fund every year. These days, it's via online streaming sources as I reside in the Toronto area. How I'd love to be cheering on from the live audience... To all who make this incredible production happen - From the crew to the performers to the viewers donating their hard earned dollars - Thanks for the memories past, present and future! Merry Christmas and blessings to all.
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Sarah Blackadar
12/2/2012 08:15:55 am
I have lots of fun memories of the Empty Stocking Fund. As a child, I sang with my school choir in the Empty Stocking Fund all through elementary school and continued to watch it every year after. It was a great way to mark the beginning of the Christmas season and is always a great reminder of the importance of thinking of those less fortunate during this festive season.
I shared this website with my grade 5 class this year and it was fun to share my memories with them and see that they had the same excitement to participate in the Empty Stocking Fund as I once did.
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