The fez-clad Shriner put the phone handset back in the cradle just after 7 p.m. and sat back in his chair, looking around in silence at the room of equally quiet socially distanced volunteers.
Realization set in quickly: A record had not just been topped but obliterated during the 2020 Heroes 4 Kids telethon benefitting Shriners Hospitals for Children — St. Louis.
By the time all the donations were tallied, another $155,694.94 filled the pediatric orthopaedic hospital’s coffers to help treat children from around the Midwest and, in many instances, the world. The total bested the old record, set in 2016, by more than $21,000, surprising organizers.