Potawatomi Hotel & Casino raised more than $1 million through its 2014 “Miracle on Canal Street” charity program, mirroring the success of last year’s program, which also raked in more than $1 million.
The casino announced the 2014 fundraiser’s grand total – $1,035,789 – during a ceremony last Friday, when 30 recipient organizations congregated at the casino to celebrate their philanthropic winnings.
Each organization received $34,526. Of the 30 organizations, 10 were signature charities selected by media partners in August. The other 20 were randomly selected to receive funding in November from a pool of applications.
All organizations involved focus on improving quality of life for area youth in some capacity in line with the charity program’s mission to reach children in need.
Following the announcement of the grand total and the amount each organization is receiving, Potawatomi held a check presentation ceremony, during which the casino recognized each honoree and awarded funds.
The annual “Miracle” program, launched in 1994, builds funds through special bingo games played at the casino each August through December. Additional funds were raised this year through beer sales at the casino and a special poker tournament held in November.
“Raising $1 million is truly a testament to the generosity of our bingo guests and the hard work of our employees here at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino,” Melanie Martin, bingo director, said in a statement. “It is always a joy to announce that fundraising total and see the happiness in the faces of our charity representatives – those who are doing a fabulous job providing basic, but necessary, services for youth in our community.”
Since the “Miracle” program began, it has distributed more than $14.6 million through 582 donations.
