Four hospital foundations in Northwestern Ontario are among nearly dozen across the province to join up and Split the Pot for a lottery program.
The Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation, North of Superior Health Care Group, Riverside Foundation for Health Care, and Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Care Foundation, are four of 21 hospital foundations to team up and participate in the Split the Pot lottery.
“It not only provides participants with an opportunity to win big but also contributes to the advancement of health care in all of Ontario. It's kind of a way for all of us to work together as a team to ensure that everyone is going to get a portion of these proceeds,” said Allison Cox, the foundation director for Riverside Foundation for Health Care.
Regional hospital foundations have run 50/50 draws as individual entities in the past; however, Cox believes these fundraising opportunities put everyone in direct competition with each other. The monthly Thunder Bay 50/50 regularly has a significant jackpot available, which has exceeded $1 million on occasion.
“We're working as a team to increase that jackpot size which will hopefully mean more and more people keep buying and keep increasing it even more,” Cox said.
“Thunder Bay is a story all on its own and since they're doing so well on their own, that was why they're not participating in the Split the Pot lottery. This was kind of to give all of those smaller foundations a chance to get some pots larger than what we've been seeing.”
In Rainy River, the Riverside Foundation for Health Care will put proceeds towards a new ultrasound machine for the Rainy River Health Centre.
“Their current ultrasound machine was never meant to be used as a routine screening machine. It was just point of care, which meant that patients needing routine ultrasounds had to travel to Fort Frances, which is probably about 70 kilometres or so away,” said Cox.
“So, a little bit of a trek for them just to get ultrasounds completed. We are looking at getting a new ultrasound machine in there, which means that routine ultrasounds will be able to be completed there and the machine will be on par with what we offer at our Fort Frances site.”
With the prize pool at just over $350,000 in a few weeks since the Split the Lottery launched, residents can enter for early bird prizes until the grand prize draw on Nov. 30.
Mitchel Hatton, the administrative coordinator for the North of Superior Health Care Group, said the lottery not only promises life-changing prizes for winners, but it also underscores the collective commitment to advancing health care across Ontario.”
NOSH plans to direct their winning cover the cost of their $2-million, 14-bed long-term care facility, which is expected to be completed by spring of 2025.
Hatton stated that NOSH’s monthly 50/50 draw usually caps around $4,000 a month.
“Everyone from across the province is purchasing, not, not just people within the NOSH catchment area. So, that definitely helps get our cause out there and promote it in a wider span,” Hatton said.
Tickers are available online at splitthepot.ca. Ticket bundles include 10 for $10, 40 for $20, and 160 for $40, and feature a best-value pack of 400 tickets for $60.
