Devon Francis is so enthusiastic about the Christian-themed radio show Adventures in Odyssey that he’s going to try and listen to episodes for 72 hours straight.
Six months ago, Francis had been wondering how many episodes he could listen to consecutively, but he knew his parents wouldn’t go for it, so he decided to work it into a fundraiser.
On July 5 he’ll start his three-day marathon, listening to 286 episodes of the show. (There are 690 episodes in total.)
“I have a timer on my computer set so that exactly at 9 o’clock on July 5th it will start,” he said.
Francis first started listening to the show, which has been on-air since 1987, when he was given cassettes as a gift from his aunt. He was immediately hooked.
“I’m widely known as possibly the biggest Odyssey trivia buff,” he said.
The marathon will take place in his home, so to pass the time he’ll “be doing puzzles and cleaning and that kind of stuff.”
Money raised will be split between the New Life Youth Group and the charity ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas), with the latter funds going to Haiti.
“When I first thought about what I would do for it, my first thought went to Japan,” he said.
Upon further research, Francis thought Haiti would be a better match since they’ve fallen off the radar recently.
“I figured Haiti would still be in need,” he said.
At a youth group meeting one evening, the members were discussing fundraising to attend the Historymaker conference in Abottsford.
Last year, it cost around $10,000 for the entire group to go.
“It costs a lot of money to go but it’s definitely worth it,” Francis said.
Knowing some people in the group struggle with the monetary factor of attending the conference, Francis decided to split the money raised between the two organizations.
So far, he’s raised $523.
“People are giving me flat donations and hourly amounts,” he said, suggesting people start with a donation of 10 cents an hour.
Still in high school, Francis isn’t going to stay awake with coffee. Instead, he plans to take vitamins and watch his sugar intake. For the last 24 hours, his little sister has vowed to stay up with him.
To make a pledge, you can contact Francis at 250-365-3695 or dfadventuresinodyssey@gmail.com.
Donations can also be made through New Life Assembly in exchange for a tax receipt.