MILWAUKEE — Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is getting set to drop more than $1 million on area charities in its annual Heart of Canal Street promotion. The yearly event raises money through special bingo games, and in its first 25 years, it’s raised more than $19 million dollars for kids in southeast Wisconsin.
TODAY’S TMJ4 was chosen as a media partner for this year’s event, and the station selected Special Olympics Wisconsin as its partner charity. That means Special Olympics is one of 11 non-profit groups guaranteed to share in the bingo windfall. In all, it will be 31 charities, with 20 chosen at random, who will each receive tens of thousands of dollars.
“It's all about our guests,” said Jay Saunders, public relations specialist for Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. “This wouldn't be possible if it weren't for our guests and our great bingo team. In every bingo session there's a Canal Street bingo game. It's $3 or $7. You can participate.”
In each special game, the winner takes half of money collected, and the other half goes into the charity pool to be donated. That pool rose to $1.1 million dollars in 2018.
“Last year, for example, each of the charities, the random charities and the ones chosen by our media partners, each got a little over $35,000,” Saunders said.
“It's huge, especially this late in the year,” said Christa Shields, vice president of development for Special Olympics Wisconsin.
Along with TODAY’S TMJ4’s Vince Vitrano, Shields visited a bingo session to thank players for participating. Vitrano is also chairman of the board of directors for Special Olympics Wisconsin and was guest caller for the game.
“I felt the love in the room,” Shields said. “I felt people behind Special Olympics, and behind this cause, and behind the Heart of Canal Street charity initiative and we're just so grateful. We can't say enough about the impact it's going to have for our organization and for our athletes.”
The special bingo games occur in every session now through December 12. Click here for more information.
