Blue Jays fans start fundraiser to aid Jamie Campbell's PPE efforts

Blue Jays Central host Jamie Campbell visits with Blue Jays fan Michael Marsh in Timmins, Ont. This was one of many selfless acts that Campbell has done during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Twitter

May 1, 2020

By J.P. Antonacci

Canadian Baseball Network

Normally at this time of year, Jamie Campbell is busy speaking nightly to millions of Blue Jays fans as the host of Sportsnet’s Blue Jays Central.

With the baseball season on hiatus thanks to COVID-19, he’s taking a more personal approach to keeping in touch.

The bighearted broadcaster has been calling elderly Jays fans around the country to talk baseball and give them a break from the tedium of quarantine. In mid-March, a few days after spring training was put on hold and most Canadians hunkered down at home, Campbell put out an invitation for Twitter users to send him the names and phone numbers of their older relatives and friends who might need a boost.

The messages came pouring in by the thousands, leading to phone calls that often turn into longer chats about the Blue Jays and baseball history. Campbell has chronicled his special interactions with fans on Twitter, describing conversations that range from local weather to family history, and of course, how everyone is feeling during these strange times.

He’s celebrated birthdays and wedding anniversaries and made self-isolation a little brighter for new friends from coast to coast, and many points in between.

So many requests came in that Campbell recruited fellow broadcaster Buck Martinez, who eagerly agreed to divide up the list.

Tweets from grateful children and grandchildren tell of seniors who are delighted – and very often shocked – to hear one of the voices of Blue Jays baseball on the other end of the line, offering a comforting connection at a stressful and often lonely time.

“I am richer for these conversations,” Campbell tweeted, calling the chance to make new friends while make people’s day “immensely fulfilling.”

All the while, he’s promoted personal protective equipment (PPE) drives organized by newly established non-profit Conquer COVID-19 (conquercovid19.ca) in order to get much-needed masks, gloves, gowns and face shields into the hands of front-line health workers.

Then two weeks ago, Campbell went for a drive of his own.

He filled an SUV with cases of PPE and hit the road, bound for hospitals and health centres in North Bay, Timmins and Sudbury. He’s been driving around province ever since, delivering equipment and hot coffee to nurses, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, support workers and others on the front lines of the pandemic.

With stops in Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville, Perth, Peterborough, Pike Lake and more, Campbell has put in thousands of kilometres to show workers how much Canadians care.

As he humbly put it on Twitter, “There’s no baseball. I have time. I’ll drive it there myself.”

Campbell’s selflessness inspired a group of Blue Jays fans to start an online fundraising campaign in his honour.

The goal is to raise $5,000 for IDRF Canada, a registered humanitarian aid charity that will funnel all the money to Conquer COVID-19 to purchase and distribute PPE to Canadian front-line workers.

Ottawa resident Luc Labrèche (@CaptMaverick85 on Twitter) said Blue Jays fans like him have been inspired by Campbell’s efforts to lift others’ spirits and make a difference during the pandemic.

“You can tell he’s doing it from the goodness of his heart,” Labrèche said.

He tweeted out the idea to come up with a way for Jays fans to show their appreciation to Campbell and “show him his work doesn’t go unnoticed.”

That tweet led to a brainstorming session with fellow baseball fans Ruth Kapelus, Lesley Mak and Joshua Howsam, who suggested collecting donations to help front-line workers.

“He’s inspired me to pay it forward, so to speak. It’s clear he doesn’t want recognition for his work. Here’s something he would appreciate,” Labrèche said on Twitter.

At only a few days old, the campaign has already raised more than $2,000, with donations coming in steadily.

“When I first made my tweet, I never expected any of this outcome,” Labrèche said. “My heart is now full and I couldn’t be happier I pressed send.”

To donate to “Jays Twitter in support of Conquer COVID and Jamie Campbell” and help purchase PPE for front-line workers, click here.