Dundee roofing contractor Charlie Kean has been officially recognised for his ”other career” that of the city’s chief charity fundraiser.
The man dubbed Dundee’s ”guardian angel” was officially bestowed with the title of the city’s 2012 Citizen of the Year at a ceremony in the City Chambers on Wednesday.
Lord Provost John Letford complete with crutches following his hip replacement operation conducted the ceremony, telling Charlie he was a very worthy recipient of the title.
The founder of Kean’s Children’s Fund, he won the title for his work helping thousands of children and their families across Tayside.
The kind-hearted father-of-two has spent more than a decade supporting ill or disadvantaged youngsters in the region and has raised more than £250,000.
Charlie set up the charity in 1999 and his fundraising efforts have helped refurbish kids’ cancer treatment facilities at Ninewells Hospital.
He has organised dozens of special events for youngsters, including an annual Christmas ice show and concert trips to see the latest bands.
The businessman also steps in as Dundee’s answer to Santa Claus every year by organising a Christmas toy appeal and delivering the gifts to youngsters in the area.
Charlie, who lives in Broughty Ferry with his wife Sharon (45) and two children, said he was hugely honoured to receive the award but said the biggest award is seeing joy and happiness on the faces of children when he is able to help them.
”It’s been an amazing night all my family and friends have come along, all the people who matter to me and also some of the children as well,” he said. ”I feel very humble that they’ve come along to support me and I’m very proud to receive the award.”
Mr Letford said the decision to honour Mr Kean was a unanimous one after the judging panel received the highest number of nominations they have ever dealt with. He said they included elder statesmen of the city, community activists and young people, and said there were a lot of deserving people across the city.
”In the end though Charlie Kean was the unanimous choice after all the amazing work he carries out and the joy he brings to a lot of young people, particularly the young people in Dundee and those who are disadvantaged or ill,” Mr Letford said.
”It is a popular and deserving choice and I am sure he will be a great ambassador for the city and continue to carry out the role he was nominated for. That’s why he got the award in the first place.”
Accepting his award, Charlie vowed to continue his charity work for the rest of his life.
Asked by The Courier what it meant to be named Citizen of the Year, he said: ”It’s just remarkable. I want to dedicate the title to the children of the city though.
”I’m only a normal person and I do this because I want to do it. Everything that I do is about seeing the children smile.”
He went on: ”We put on a show every Christmas and have a buffet with food and juice for everyone. I’ve seen a lot of the kids putting food in their pockets because there is nothing at home for them.”
Although his efforts have proved to be hugely rewarding, Charlie’s charity work has also brought him tremendous heartache.
The past three years have seen him attend the funerals of 17 children, prompting him to ask: ”Where is the justice in that?”
He also makes regular trips to the Ukraine, assisting at an orphanage where the poverty is so horrific that children can count their possessions on a single hand.
However, while many others would lose heart, Charlie has vowed to continue with his tireless efforts to help others.
“I get stopped in the street all of the time asking if I’m the guy from the paper and people give me money for the fund there and then,” he said.
“You hear all of the bad things that happen in this world but for every bad thing there are probably 10,000 good things going on and you don’t hear about them.
“The people of Dundee are so generous it’s one of the most charitable places in Scotland.
“The greatest gift in life is your health and I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life. As long as I can keep making a difference I will keep on going.”