Organizers with the Cars for Christmas Lottery are hoping to get a bit of a bump when it comes to ticket sales over the next week and a half, as they continue to lag behind 2020 sales.
Lottery Director Pam Nordin says they’re approximately 10 per cent lower than they were at this point in 2020 which could affect the amount of funding handed over to a dozen non-profit organizations in the region, which could potentially limit programs and services.
“There were a lot of events and galas that had to be cancelled, and, in particular, for some of our groups, they’re the biggest fundraiser they have in a year,” she says. “If we can get maximum payout for them, it will be really helpful for their programming.”
Nordin says since the start of the pandemic the lottery has maximized the support provided to community groups by including more non-profit groups in each lottery and by basing proceed payouts on the percentage of tickets sold, which means the more tickets sold the more each of the partner groups receive.
She says it was the incredible generosity of the community which got them close to the 2020 sales totals, and she is hopeful they will be able to count on residents across the region to get them over the finish line.
“I want to thank the community for what they’ve done so far…[and] if we can work together just for 10 days more, get the word out there, sell those tickets, it will really help these groups,” she adds.
Some of the organizations that will receive funding from the 2021 Cars for Christmas lottery include the Resource Centre for Suicide Prevention, Regional EMS Foundation, and the Centre for Creative Arts. You can buy tickets for the 2021 Cars for Christmas Lottery until December 30th either online or by visiting the Prairie Mall kiosk.