-by Rankin MacDonald
Inverness has never seen a phenomenon like this.
That phenomenon is known as Chase the Ace.
And if you are fortunate enough to win Chase the Ace next Saturday, you will win in excess of $207,000.
It all began in Inverness about two years ago.
The Inverness Cottage Workshop was looking for a fundraising event to help them finance the renovations to the former Hoff building, which is slated to become the Inverness Community Leadership Centre. It will house the Inverness Cottage Workshop and the Inverness Early Years Co-operative.
“It was a major undertaking and we wanted something creative and different that would help us reach our financial goal,” said Cindy O’Neill, executive director of the Inverness Cottage Workshop (ICW).
They heard about this new fundraising idea that was being implemented in other Nova Scotia communities and thought this might be what they were looking for.
O’Neill approached the Inverness Legion to see if they would be willing to partner with them and found out that the Legion was already planning to take on their own Chase the Ace.
The Legion agreed to partner with the ICW and Inverness would never be the same again.
It took some time before it reached the level it is at today.
This is the second run, the first prize was a mere $28,000 if you compare it to the present jackpot.
It didn’t look optimistic when they first started at the Legion.
O’Neill said the Dart League, which plays in the basement of the Legion, was their biggest supporter.
“It was lonely at first,” she added.
At the beginning they took in $45, so she threw in an extra $5 so the pot would be an even $50.
The winner that week got 20 per cent which was only $10.
The Legion stuck with the ICW and by the summer the jackpot had grown and when the ace was chosen it yielded $28,000 to the lucky winner.
Now the crowds number in the thousands and come from across the province.
“It’s a lot of work but it’s exciting,” added O’Neill. “It’s good for community spirit and is not simply a fund-raiser but also a social event.”
The Legion hires the best local performers to keep the audience entertained while they wait for the ticket draw.
At first it was just held at the Legion, then it spread to the ICW, but it grew so much that the ICW wasn’t big enough and the arena was needed.
Now the Legion, the ICW and other community groups such as the arena, minor hockey and Search and Rescue (traffic control) benefit from the large crowds who come in the hope of getting rich.
And the area businesses also do well on Chase the Ace each Saturday.
It’s a simple game.
You purchase a ticket just as you would in a 50/50 draw. Most people buy $20 worth which gets you four colours and 16 tickets.
There are some who buy $500 worth.
If your ticket is drawn you get 20 per cent of what was taken in on that day.
Last week the ticket winner received $30,000 from a total income of over $150,000.
The previous week took in $103,000, so who knows how high it will climb.
At the Legion there is a deck of cards. If you pick the ace of spades you win it all, which on Saturday will be over $207,000.
There are only 10 cards left so this current run has been going on for 42 weeks.
The sponsors love when that happens.
“It is a team building event,” said O’Neill. “Everyone works very hard to make this work so well and the success it is.”
The tickets are sold for two hours only from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and imagine, $153,000 flows in and maybe more.
Herbie Jeromel, president of the Inverness Legion, said it is an exciting venture.
“I keep scratching my heard wondering how we lucked out,” he said.
He pointed out that a lot of Chase the Ace events fell flat across the province but several in Inverness County (Port Hood, Port Hawkesbury and Whycocomagh) are doing fairly well.
“It is good that the Legion partnered with the Cottage Workshop; you have to have a partner. You couldn’t do it on your own,” he added.
He said the Legion first heard about it at a convention in 2013 and in September the membership agreed to go ahead with it.
Then the ICW approached them.
“It was a good move on both our parts to get together,” Jeromel said. “It’s a big commitment, your Saturdays are gone.”
He said they held it on Friday night and then Wednesday, but when they settled on Saturday things went a lot better.
Jeromel said when this run is over donations will be made to the groups who assisted the Legion and ICW.
He said he received an e-mail from Noel, Nova Scotia, from the ones who had the first big jackpot of $230,000 in Nova Scotia and they plan to come to Inverness this Saturday.
This Chase the Ace run could go until October 24th and luckily the ice will still be off at the arena.
Jeromel pointed out that it is the volunteers who make it all possible.
The ICW, a vocational agency for adults who have intellectual disabilities, is hopeful they can soon begin the renovations to the building (Hoff) and the Chase the Ace has helped enormously.
Talking to people from across the province (as far away as Halifax) on Saturday, they all agreed that this was a hell of a lot better than buying lotto tickets.
You have a better chance to win a life-changing amount.
See you on Saturday.
