Name: Joerg Gardey

From: Canada

How long have you been collecting? 10 years

How many pins do you own? 2000

In 2010, I took a bus up to Whistler, BC, with two friends to greet the torch relay. Whistler was packed that day. All three of us had a day we will never forget. We made many memories that day. However one little girl will remember that special day, she became a pin collector.

We first met this 5-year-old & her mother at 10 am. She loved all the pins we had on our scarves. The 3 of us gave her 3 pins of her choice. Her mother was very grateful. The little girl was thrilled.

We again ran into them a little later, her mom had bought her some retail pins & added them to the 3 we had given her. An hour later we saw them again and now the girl had even more pins, given to her by other people, including some media, & sponsor pins.

Each time we saw them, this little girl had more pins on her scarf. By 8:00 that night we again saw them. This time her and her mom were doing a TV interview with a Japanese TV crew, and yes they gave her one of their much coveted pins.

At this point it had been a very long, exciting, special day, & this little girl's scarf was so full of pins, she could hardly stand because of the weight of all the pins she had be given. This all started because we gave her 3 pins that morning. Her mother thanked us, for making this such a fun, memorable day and for turning her into a pin collector.