Chippewas of Rama citizen Catches the Ace for over $100,000!
CHIPPEWAS OF RAMA FIRST NATION – The Anishinabek Nation 7th Generation Charity (AN7GC) began selling tickets for its third instalment of its popular Anishinabek Catch the Ace online weekly progressive raffle on October 18, 2023 and nearly a year later in the 49th week of the raffle, the weekly winning ticket holder’s envelope was opened to finally reveal the Ace of Spades.
On September 25, 2024, Shawna McKenzie of Chippewas of Rama First Nation, who found the Ace of Spades in envelope #51, won the Week #49 weekly jackpot of $7,768, as well as the progressive jackpot of $93,225 for a grand total win of over $100,000!
“We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome,” said AN7GC Manager, Jason Restoule. “We’ve made some adjustments based on our experience running the raffle twice prior to this one, which helped grow the popularity of the raffle from day one. But the biggest factor in the success of this raffle was the Ace of Spades staying hidden for over 40 weeks. When people see the Jackpots growing each week while at the same time seeing the shrinking number of unopened envelopes, it’s hard to pass up the chance to play”.
Weekly draws took place every Wednesday evening at 7:00pm EST, with weekly ticket sales split into three portions: 20 per cent to the weekly jackpot, 30 per cent to the progressive Catch the Ace jackpot, and 50 per cent to the AN7GC to be used to help support Anishinabek citizens in need across Ontario. Each week, one lucky ticket holder won the weekly jackpot and had an opportunity to win the progressive Catch the Ace jackpot by having their chosen numbered envelope opened to reveal a playing card.
Following the success of this third raffle, the AN7GC has plans to start another Anishinabek Catch the Ace raffle in the coming months.
“The Ace of Spades staying hidden for so long resulted in an explosion of growth and popularity over the last eight to 10 weeks of the raffle. Our goal is to continue to make it grow, resulting in bigger jackpots, but more importantly, more funds being available to help our Anishinabek First Nations citizens in need,” Restoule said. “Ticket buyers are responsible for the entire success of the raffle. Whether the motivation to purchase tickets is to win the jackpot or to support those in need, each ticket purchased helps make a positive difference. Chi-miigwech to all of those who participated by buying tickets and who helped by spreading the word – we are extremely appreciative of all the generous support.”
Over $310,000 worth of tickets were sold over the course of the raffle, resulting in over $155,000 in funds raised for the AN7GC. Details of the raffle along with the results of all 49 weeks of draws can be found at www.AnishinabekAce.ca.
The AN7GC is a self-sufficient charity committed to improving the quality of life of Anishinabek citizens by providing financial support, where no other funding exists, in the areas of Education, Health, Youth, Elders, Culture, Social, Emergency Crisis, and Disaster Relief, and relies fully on the success of its fundraising initiatives like Catch the Ace in order to support its goals and objectives. The AN7GC also raises funds through other initiatives:
- Annual Anishinabek Evening of Excellence
- Annual Anishinabek Veterans Memorial Golf Tournament
- The Union of Ontario Indians ‘Giving at Work’ Program
- Private Donations
The AN7GC also provides open access to its ‘Hotel Discount Program’ as well as partnership with Enterprise Rent-a-Car whereby citizens are provided with discounts at partner hotels and on car rentals, and a portion of those sales go directly to the AN7GC.
The funds raised by the AN7GC are disbursed throughout all of the Anishinabek Nation’s 39 First Nations through a ‘Grant Program’ whereby citizens apply for grants and must meet various criteria to be considered for approval.
More information about the AN7GC can be found at www.an7gc.ca.