The Dayton Pond made and delivered Christmas hampers for families that included toys, stockings and food in the Huber Heights City Schools. Approximately 120 people participated, donating $12,700 for the event.
The Edmonton Pond held several different events during the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose International conference. They collected $10,000 in donations for the Stollery Children’s Hospital and $5,000 for the E4C School Lunch Program. At the convention they purchased toys, crayons and other items and then had the convention attendees stuff the gift bags, which went to sick children at local hospitals.
In December 2018, the Edmonton Pond used their annual charity Christmas luncheon to collect approximately 150 toys for Santa Claus Anonymous and proceeds ($1,500) from the event to support the Prince Charles School Music Program. The Pond also donated $11,276 to the Canadian Tire Jumpstart, which helps children in the community become involved with sports.
The Quebec Pond held three events: a golf tournament and two gala events. Each gala was attended by almost 600 people and raised $50,000 per event. Their efforts allowed the Pond to contribute a total of $60,000 between 32 different charitable organizations.
The Saskatchewan Pond took their fundraising to great lengths and new heights. Their annual Pumpkin Drop raised $20,000 last year and they expect to raise even more this year. Here’s a picture of one of the pumpkins they dropped.

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Here’s what the pumpkin looked like after it landed. The Pond had help from a lot of volunteers and the local fire department. If you’re in the area, this year’s event will take place on Oct. 6, 2019.
The National Capital Pond had a busy year raising funds for the Children’s Hospital ($4,910) and D.C. Firefighters Burn Unit ($4,910) from their holiday luncheon. Their spring casino night raised another $3,600 for the Helping Up Mission. This donation was directed to the organization’s women’s facility, which helps women in need of recovering from addiction or rebuilding their lives from homelessness in Baltimore.
Leslie’s Week provides women experiencing Stage 4 cancer and their families a brief respite from therapy, clinical trials and hospitals for a week of fun so they can make memories that will survive beyond the cancer diagnosis and treatment. The National Capital Pond presented them with a check for $1,000. Other organizations that benefited from the Pond’s efforts included the Lighthouse Bistro, which helps people with employment barriers gain job experience and earn a living wage; Catch a Lift, which has helped thousands of post-combat veterans regain their mental and physical health through gym memberships and other fitness programs; and Blue Valor, which provides resources that benefit law enforcement officers.
The Texas Pond collected $10,838 in donations and $4,293 in collected items that allowed them to provide $3,000 in scholarships and assemble 54 Easter Baskets that were donated to the Family Place in Dallas.

Since its founding in 1906, ponds (chapters) within the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose have supported a wide variety of charities across the U.S. and Canada. There are 35 ponds throughout North America, and over the last five years, the organization, which comprises professionals representing all lines of insurance, has raised over $1.2 million in cash donations; volunteered more than 10,000 hours; collected goods and services worth $326,000 and awarded just over $46,000 in scholarships.

They have gathered gifts to make brighten holidays for countless children, worked in missions and shelters, served veterans, created awareness about mental health issues and suicide prevention for teens, coached and supported youth sports teams, collected money for music programs, contributed to school lunch programs and championed a host of other worthwhile endeavors. All of these efforts emphasized the organization’s precepts of character, fellowship and charity.

The slide show above highlights some of their activities, and as you will see, they were extremely creative in their fundraising (pumpkin drop, anyone?) and had a lot of fun serving their communities. Giving back looks good on you, Ganders!