IGR honours five for generating charity gaming revenues
- Fraser Needham | October 28, 2015
Hundreds of Aboriginal people across Saskatchewan work hard every year to ensure gaming is a successful revenue source for First and Métis community building.
This is why Indigenous Gaming Regulators Incorporated believes it is important to honour a number of these individuals.
IGR held its annual charitable gaming excellence awards on October 23 in Saskatoon.
Awards are given out for outstanding reporting, innovation, best practices, operations and management.
At this year’s ceremony, a special one-time award was also given out for exemplary volunteerism.
Gregory Ahenakew is the president and CEO of IGR.
“It’s our way of saying thank you to them,” he says. “To the people who volunteer, unpaid positions, whether it’s bingo or other fundraisers. It’s always about the volunteers and the communities and the bingos. That’s the primary fundraiser, the bingos.”
Ahenakew says communities are largely allowed to use charity gaming revenues however they best see fit.
“From elders to youth to sports – some of the larger halls make a lot of money for their youth, in particular, and the elders. They use the money where there is no money from the federal government – where they don’t fund specific things. These people play a huge role in their communities.”
The IGR CEO says Indigenous charity gaming revenues are growing in the province, generating roughly $500,000 for community development projects this past year.
The provincial government will provide 25 cents for each dollar raised in charity gaming revenue.
The 2015 outstanding reporting award recipient is Eleanor Roberts of the Stanley Mission Emergency Fund.
Marilyn Dumont of Creek FM Radio Bingo took the outstanding innovation award while Vivian Pechawis of Mistawasis Fundraising Committee is the recipient of the best practices award.
Frankie Halkett of Keethanow Bingo North in La Ronge is the recipient of the outstanding operations and management award and Connie Brooks of La Ronge the exemplary volunteerism award.