Great Canadian neighbours win surprise gifts

Candice (r) is a great Canadian neighbour. “We’re new in the neighbourhood,” says Kelly (l). “Candice cleaned out our garden, mowed our lawn, and invited us to her home to meet some of the other neighbours she was already friends with.”

Who are the greatest neighbours in Canada? They’re ordinary people living extraordinary lives and their fellow residents wanted to thank them.

GodTalk, a Winnipeg radio show produced by Family Life Network, sent hosts David Balzer and Melissa McEachern to criss-cross the city June 9, delivering deluxe leather chairs, lawn treatment packages, and gardening gift certificates to unsuspecting recipients.

The Great Canadian Neighbour Contest invited people to submit entries by “telling us what’s so great about your Winnipeg neighbour!” On June 5, a random draw identified nine people who would receive a surprise prize pack.

Balzer and McEachern drove to the homes of contest participants whose entries had been drawn. Then the three of them walked next door to surprise their great Canadian neighbour.

When asked how she heard about the contest, Kelly Speak said, “I saw the contest online and thought, we have a great neighbour, this is a great contest!” When Balzer and McEachern pulled up to Kelly’s duplex, her neighbour, Candice, was mowing Kelly’s lawn!

Participants had the opportunity to print their entry and drop it in their neighbour’s mailbox. One prize recipient, Jason, recounted, “I got the letter in a week when I needed a shot in the arm. I read it and began to cry.”

“This contest inspires and grows healthy communities, as people simply express one good thing about their neighbours! It’s definitely a life-giving kind of God talk!” says David Balzer. Plans are underway for similar contests in communities across Canada.

—release

Sample entries from the Great Canadian Neighbour Contest In 2006 we had to move our daughter because of brain cancer and then she had major surgery to remove a large tumour from her head. Our neighbours Ruth and Maurice insisted on redecorating our daughter’s bedroom, which took them three days. [They] did a fabulous job and would take nothing for it. These are truly beautiful people. —Robert He’s adoringly known in the neighbourhood as Uncle Earl. He’s now 75+ and going strong. He’s a leader on our bay. He gathered a group of six guys of all ages and started an annual “Valentine’s Day Dinner Party,” hosted in honour of their wives. He taught many of them how to entertain and some have gone on to be great cooks. We are still holding this event and all the men gather to cook and prepare dinner for 12. We vote Uncle Earl for the Greatest Canadian Neighbour! —June We have a great Canadian neighbour – I mean, who else will puppy-sit for you when you’re at work? Ian is often on the street with a big smile and wave as we drive up. He’s the hub of all neighbour news and makes sure each family is cared for if a need arises. He rents the spring aerator and offers it to everyone to do their yards, too. Our block party is often his initiative. He’s a crusader about pesticides to keep our families healthy in the future – this means many of us have to weed and feed after dark, but we still love him for it. —Dan