Jacob Marley has retired 鈥� but that doesn鈥檛 mean he鈥檚 given up on collecting for charities from businesses around 91原创 at the Christmas season.
Wayne Kuyer, aka Jacob Marley, and Kyle Murray as Bob Cratchit from Dickens鈥� A Christmas Carol, don Victorian clothing and head out in character every year to collect for the 91原创 Christmas Bureau and the Empty Stocking Fund.
鈥淥ver the course of the year I鈥檝e phased out of the work side of the equation,鈥� Kuyer said.
But he鈥檚 still back this Christmas, and for a few more to come, as Marley, the miser and business partner of Ebeneezer Scrooge.
鈥淭his is a special thing to do,鈥� he said.
Run out of accounting firm Kuyer and Associates, the charity event began in 1996, with Kuyer and his late business partner Stephen de Verteuil as Marley and Scrooge, respectively.
They鈥檇 turn up at donor businesses in character, flinging about a few 鈥淏ah, humbugs!鈥� and playing up their roles as greedy misers 鈥� with all the 鈥減ayments鈥� they collected going to the charities, of course.
De Verteuil passed away in 2002 at the young age of 47, but Kuyer kept the project going. In 2017 he recruited Murray as put-upon clerk Bob Cratchit and the event became a two-man project again.
Last year, the total raised over the course of the fundraising passed $400,000.
Every year, the duo hopes to raise about $25,000 from a variety of businesses around the community, and in recent years they鈥檝e exceeded that amount.
It鈥檚 up considerably from the first year, when they raised under $2,000.
鈥淏eing businessmen, we鈥檙e still competitive with ourselves,鈥� said Kuyer.
Some businesses have to stop donating if they have a tough year, but others step up and come on board.
Murray said that they were leaving an office just last week, and a stranger stopped to talk to them about their costumes.
鈥淗e ended up giving today,鈥� Murray said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always ready to talk to anyone who will have us.鈥�
The annual visits wrap up in the middle of December.
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