In the past six years, Blyth, Ont.’s Marcie Riegling has helped local charities raise money and their profile with charity pin-up calendars.
Now, those “calendars for a cause” will be coming to Ontario television screens.
“The first little bit is highlighting the non-profit, and then we do a makeover show, basically. The transformation of the people in the organization to pin-up models or superheroes, or whatever kind of theme makes sense,” said Riegling.
Riegling, who goes by Miss Marcie Canada’s Pin-Up Girl, has produced eight charity calendars in the past six years, most notably for the Alzheimer’s Society of Huron County and Huron’s Women’s Shelter.
She recently pitched the idea of a turning the calendar shoots into a TV Show to Bell Media, the parent company of CTV News London. They loved it, and have ordered up six episodes to air this September on Fibe TV.
“It’s really about making them feel happy and special for a moment. And taking their minds off the things that are maybe a ‘downer,’ and then help raise money and awareness for their organizations,” she said.
So far, Riegling has non-profits in Niagara, Fort Erie and Bruce County on board. She’s looking for more charities to feature for the first season of ‘Calendar for a Cause’ and sponsors to help fund the printing costs for the featured charities.
“I’d love a Huron County one, one from London. I’ve got a few on the go — a few maybes — but I’d love to have more organizations involved,” said Riegling.
Shooting for ‘Calendar for a Cause’ starts in July, with an air date of September.
You can learn more at Riegling’s facebook page or her website.