Mr. Bert Fudge is a very passionate and caring man who loves to help people in any way that he can. The children at the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre have a very special place in his heart. In August 1996 he decided to take on a project that would help him raise money for the Janeway. This project took him a little over 8 months to complete but it has proved to be a great fundraiser then and even still.

Mr. Fudge decided to build a replica of the Titanic and call it the “Titanic Of Charity.” This is not just an ordinary boat, this boat is 7 feet long and 14 inches wide and all in all it took him 1,025 hours to complete it. This boat is made from wood, steel wool, syringes, conduit pipe and many other commonly available materials. In April 1997 Mr. Fudge traveled throughout the communities of Baie Verte, LaScie, Springdale, Robert’s Arm, Triton, Brighton, Grand Falls – Windsor, Lewisporte and Corner Brook with the “Titanic Of Charity” and raised $5000. In 1998, Mr. Fudge appeared on the Janeway Telethon with the $5000 donation and the “Titanic Of Charity” and this was only the beginning of the fundraising for him. Today, the boat is on display at the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre for the enjoyment of the patients and the visitors and sitting alongside the boat is a donation box that was requested by Mr. Fudge so that the donations could keep coming in. The “Titanic Of Charity” has made a lot of money for the children’s hospital and will continue to so in the days and years to come hopefully.

In October 1998 Mr. Fudge decided that he wanted to raise some more money so during the week of his 75th birthday he decided to walk 75 kilometres and raised a total of $2,065. It was only 5 years after this that he decided to start rocking for the Janeway so on his 80th birthday he decided to take his rocking chair to the Exploits Valley Mall in Grand Falls – Windsor and rocked for a total of 80 hours over a 10 day span. He raised over $4,000 during this rock-a-thon. The next year he rocked 81 hours, on his 82nd birthday he rocked 56 hours, on his 83rd birthday he rocked 32 hours, on his 84th birthday he rocked 8 hours and then this past October when he celebrated his 85th birthday he rocked another 8 hours. Over the past 11 years Mr. Fudge has raised and donated over $17,000 to the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre and he is not finished yet.

Unfortunately, in September 2008 Mr. Fudge was diagnosed with having cancer on his vocal cords and has had to temporarily live in St. John’s at the Health Science Centre Hostel so that he could receive proper treatments. At least twice a week he makes a point to walk over to the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre to visit his boat and to say a friendly hello to the girls working in the office. Since he has been in the “Titanic Of Charity” has continued to bring in funds. Mr. Fudge wants to extent a heart-felt thank you to anyone who has been willing to drop a coin or a bill into that box. He is receiving nothing out of this besides satisfaction that his hard work has paid off and the assurance that he is doing whatever he can to help the children of this province receive the best possible health care available. He asks that you remember that there are many people on the “Titanic Of Charity” that need to be rescued, so please throw out the lifeline and save them from sinking.   Submitted By: NULL