Potawatomi Bingo Casino celebrated the opening of its signature charity program, Miracle on Canal Street, this week and introduced changes to the program in hopes of generating more excitement among bingo players, participating charities and the community.
In its 19th year, Miracle on Canal Street raises funds to benefit children in Southeastern Wisconsin. Funds come exclusively from special rounds of bingo games at Potawatomi Bingo Casino between August and December and support 30 area nonprofit organizations in time for the holidays.
“In an effort to create some more anticipation and some more engagement and to get the Miracle message out there, we have decided to do the random drawing the same day we announce the fundraising total in December,” said Ryan Amundson, external communications manager for the casino.
In past years, the casino has randomly selected 20 of the 30 charity recipients during the kick-off day in August. This year, Potawatomi will wait to randomly draw those 20 charities until December when it announces the total amount of money raised.
Hopeful charities will also have opportunities to accumulate more entries in the drawing in December and improve their odds of being selected. Each charity that has applied for a portion of the pot will automatically have one entry into the drawing. But by promoting the Miracle program – through social media or their organization’s newsletter or website among other avenues – they can claim up to five entries.
Almost 150 charities applied to the 2012 Miracle program, which emphasizes the theme, “Making sure children have a place to sleep, eat and play.”
“With more than 100 charities engaged in the process, we’re hoping the message gets spread a little more about the good things that our bingo players are doing,” Amundson said.
In past years, the Miracle program pot has successfully amounted to $1 million. Last year came close. Amundson anticipates that bingo players will have the same enthusiasm for the program this year – maybe even more.
“I think there’s a little more mystery in it this year, which is kind of fun,” Amundson said.
The kick-off event on Wednesday also introduced bingo players to 10 participating charities chosen by the program’s media partners. Bingo guests will play for these charities and the 20 to be announced in December starting this week. Each of the 10 named charities relates to the broader theme of sleeping, eating and playing. Signature charities include: Adoption Resources of Wisconsin, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Boys and Girls Club of Washington County, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Bicycle Collective, Penfield Children’s Center, Pathfinders, and Special Olympics Wisconsin.
“We’re helping children,” Amundson said. “We’re helping those vulnerable children in our community, and especially in the times we live in when some of these charities are having a harder time making ends meet, I think people realize that and they want to help.”
“They know that the program addresses serious needs within our community,” he said.
Amundson described the Miracle program as the most rewarding one he takes part in.
“To know that you’re helping children that need help within the community and to know that these great organizations will benefit from some of the money that our bingo guests are raising – it’s very satisfying every year,” he said.
