| Community Futures
Prince Albert and District
Chili for Charity Combines Hockey and Lunch
Mix together some chili, a few hockey players
and fund raising for a worthy cause, and you've got the recipe
for a successful event. It's called "Chili for Charity"
an idea cooked up by Wayne Cameron, the General Manager of the
Prince Albert and District Community Futures Development Corporation.
"I love chili," says Cameron, "and
I'm also director of the Prince Albert Raiders (of the Western
Hockey League.) For a couple of hours over lunch, people can get
chili, a bun, pop and dessert for five dollars. They also get
to meet Raiders' players and maybe get an autograph. It's laid
back, and people enjoy it."
Local businesses chip in with food, cola and
prizes, and all of the money raised goes to the local Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The latest event, in
February 2007, raised almost $470 for the Society, the largest
amount yet.
"I was surprised by the amount of the
donation," says Pat Slater, who manages the local animal
shelter. "The CF people do everything, from hanging posters
around the city to cooking the chili. All they ask us to do is
take the cheque."
Besides raising money and awareness for the
SPCA, Chili for Charity also introduces potential clients to the
CF staff and the services it offers. The event is held in the
CF boardroom, and it's jam-packed. Cameron estimates that half
the people at the latest event he'd never seen before. "I
heard people commenting that they didn't know we had community
access computers and a business resource library. We also get
coverage on the radio and in the local paper. It's another way
of getting the CF name out there," Cameron says.
The only problem – if you want to call
it that – is that the event has become so popular it may
outgrow the CF office. "We can't squeeze in any more people,"
says Cameron. "We may need to look for a larger place to
hold it."
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