By Isaac Olson, January 11th, 2011
With a little help from a nomadic “goodwill traveller,” the NDG Senior Citizens’ Council (NDGSCC) hosted a sold-out fundraising dinner on December13 at La Louisiane — a restaurant on Sherbrooke St. near Regent Ave.“It was a tremendous success,” said NDGSCC executive director Sheri McLeod, noting all 65 tickets were sold in a campaign that raised about $12,200.“The people of NDG have shown how generous they are even in times of economic hardships.”
Travis Talbot is a former hospitalityexecutive who, after the 2010 Olympic Games, resigned from a successful restaurant company to trek the globe in a five-year, pay-it-forward campaign aimed at helping organizations and community members wherever possible. Talbot coordinated the benefit dinner while personally offering up his free time to anyone who needed a helping hand, be it raking leaves or putting up Christmas lights in his “Blue Collar Butler” program. His work earned donations for the Montreal-West-based NDGSCC — a more than 30-year-old non-profit organization that hosts a range of senior focused programming.According to McLeod, Talbot dedicated much of his three weeks to the non-profit, CDN-based Clean Sweepers organization. The social-economy enterprise offers subsidized cleaning service with a focus on low-income residents that may suffer from physical or mental conditions. All the money he made cleaning went to the NDGSCC, said McLeod, who served on the Clean Sweepers’ board of directors for seven years. She said the cleaning was “very hard work.”
After several Canadian stops, Talbot said he will soon be heading to the United States and, eventually Europe, to continue his campaign.
Lacking strong French-language skills, Talbot said the Montreal market proved challenging, but the community was supportive. While in Montreal or any other city, Talbot said there is no criteria or focus when choosing a non profit organization to serve. “It’s just a pay it forward expedition,” he said with a broad smile and people dined on Southern cuisine, chatted about the upcoming holidays and sipped Barefoot wines. The wine company and restaurant served as event sponsors.
“I have no one cause or specific allegiance. I just go wherever I can to spread some good.”