Manitobans are opening their hearts and wallet for the founder of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Mitch Podolak recently had surgery on his neck. He has a condition that has caused his mobility to decrease over the years.

Friend and colleague Heather Bishop started a fund-raising campaign. It raised $20,000 in the first 24 hours.

As of Sunday afternoon, that amount was more than $31,000.

"He's remarkable. I’m very impressed with how he’s kept his good sense of humour,” she said. “When I called him to say, ‘Okay, we hit ($20,000), but I think we’re going to hit ($30,000), he started to cry. And he said, ‘You know, I’ve kept it together ‘til now, but this means I’m going to be okay."

Bishop said Podolak supported many artists over the years, including her.

Bishop said the first $20,000 will go towards a stair lift for his home.

She hopes to buy a motorized wheelchair he can operate by hand with the rest of the money.