We at H.O.P.E. are so excited to announce that we have been selected as a recipient charity for the Kin Club of Russell’s Catch the Ace lottery! Beginning today, tickets are available for purchase, with the first draw taking place on December 1st, 2024.
Before we get in to the nitty-gritty of how it works (and how to play!), let’s take a look at how your support will help H.O.P.E. help our community…
H.O.P.E. is a volunteer-led, not-for-profit, event management organization that raises funds for community-based charities and has fun doing so.
It all started in 1982, when Fred Logan and a group of his friends were inspired by Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope to raise funds to give back to the Ottawa community. Their efforts morphed in to HOPE Volleyball SummerFest (as it’s known today) which has continued to support Ottawa’s local charities for the past 42 years.
In an effort to broaden our efforts, the Expand Our Give Committee was formed to create other opportunities to help the community without conflicting with SummerFest.
The funding we will receive from the Kin Club of Russell’s Catch the Ace will support two projects: the existing Bags of HOPE initiative, and a new HOPE Grocery Support program beginning this year.
Bags of HOPE
Launched in 2019, this project has a simple structure with a large impact. Led by a volunteer coordinator, H.O.P.E. purchases sundry items such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, socks, winter gloves, non-perishable food items, books, and games for children. A team of volunteers assembles the items in to gift bags, then spends a day delivering the Bags of HOPE to doorsteps in our community where they are most needed.
The focus of the contents of the bags has changed over the years, depending on the target of the bags; be it low-income housing communities, or youth centres and organizations.
HOPE Grocery Support
Launching in 2024, our intention is to have a team of HOPE Volunteers partner with a local grocery store to help supplement families in need as they purchase groceries amid the rising costs of food. More info to come as we solidify the details and put in the work!
These two projects focus on the mission and vision of our organization, and will continue our history of reaching out and giving back to our community.
Catch the Ace: How Does It Work?
From the Kin Club of Russell:
“Catch the Ace is a progressive lottery governed by AGCO rules.
We start by shuffling the 52 cards of a playing deck, placing them backs up so we cannot see the cards, then sliding each one into its own envelope, again, without viewing them. The envelopes are then sealed, re-shuffled, then we number the sealed envelopes from 1 – 52. We do not know what cards are in which envelopes.
Tickets are sold online and in paper ticket formats. The buyer enters their name, phone number and envelope choice. Online ticket stubs and paper ticket stubs are the exact same size, colour, stock and weight. All tickets purchased between 4 PM Sunday and approximately noon the next Sunday (online tickets sales cease at 11:59 PM Saturday) are placed into the raffle bin. Tickets are valid for the week they are purchased only.
Each week, we conduct a draw of all tickets purchased that week (tickets are good for only the one week of the draw) at 3:15 PM. Only one ticket is drawn from the raffle bin.
The one winner, wins 20% of the total sales for that week or basically $2.00 for every ticket sold. 30% of the sales every week are put towards the progressive jackpot.
ONLY the one draw winner picks an envelope and ONLY the one winner can win the jackpot or the weekly prize. He/she has their chosen envelope opened, if it is the Ace of Spades, they win the jackpot, if it is not, that envelope number is retired from play and there is one less envelope in next week’s draw.
It is irrelevant how many people select the same envelope number; again, it only matters to the one person whose ticket is drawn. ONLY that one person can win the jackpot. The lottery continues each week until the Ace of Spades is selected by the raffle draw winner.”
For more information on the official rules of play, click here. Please note that, according to AGCO rules:
- You must be at least 18 years of age to purchase and,
- You must be physically within the province of Ontario when you purchase your tickets, regardless of your permanent residency.
ACGO furthers stipulates that all Catch the Ace lotteries must include geofencing to prevent anyone outside of the province from purchasing online.
However, if someone 18 years of age or older, physically within the province of Ontario purchased tickets in your name as a “gift”, those purchases are valid.
Where To Buy Tickets
It’s super simple – you can purchase your tickets online, right here, and select Charity #9 - "H.O.P.E. Helps" as a beneficiary. You can also use this handy QR code to take you there:
We will also be selling physical tickets at our H.O.P.E. events.
We are so grateful to have been selected by the Kin Club of Russell as a Catch the Ace recipient charity – and we can’t wait to help give back to our community in a big way!
