The Impact of the Big M Lottery 2022
After a two-year hiatus, St. Michael’s College School (SMCS) was excited to once again host the Big M Lottery, featuring a brand-new format.
“We were very excited for the opportunity to once again offer the Big M Lottery to our community, especially in an electronic format,” says Kimberley Bailey, Director of Advancement. “The process took a little longer to receive eligibility and the lottery license, however, the pandemic afforded us with the necessary time.
“In qualifying for a lottery with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the school was able to offer ticket sales online. This was an important step for us as we had learned through feedback surveys that participants were consistently asking for an online purchasing option over paper form.”
Why a lottery?
The proceeds of the Big M Lottery directly benefit the SMCS Financial Assistance Programme, enabling students who qualify based on financial need, the opportunity to attend the school. Since 2002, St. Michael’s has awarded approximately $27.9 million in bursary assistance to a total of 2,562 students.
The initiative also provides an opportunity for the winners to either receive funds towards a SMCS education or to take a cash alternative. This year’s lottery saw current parents win all three prizes.
Congratulations to our winners:
1st prize – $21,500 Erin Carvalho
“We have bought lottery tickets for the past three lotteries as a way to help support the school never really thinking we would win. I can honestly say we have never won anything like this before so when the school called to inform us that we had won I was in total shock. Shock turned to joy at the fact that we’d won a prize at all and for the full tuition amount. The plan is to redirect the winnings right back towards next year’s tuition!”
2nd prize – $10,750 Mike Annese
“When we bought the ticket, we thought it would be a nice way to support the financial assistance programme that has been so generous to our son Max. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we’d win. We were shocked to receive the call. Thank you to St. Michael’s for being such an amazing and supportive environment for our son. We appreciate this wonderful gift and will do our best to pay it forward.”
3rd prize – $5,375 Barbara Lockhart
“It was a wonderful surprise when Kimm called me only a few hours after I purchased my tickets to tell me I had come third in the Big M Lottery. My main objective as a parent of a current Grade 11 student, Jacob Keller, was to support the school. Having my ticket drawn is just the icing on the cake.”
The success of this year’s lottery will provide an opportunity for two young men to realize their dream of becoming St. Michael’s Men.
Thank you to the entire SMCS community for their support of this event, which further enables the Basilian Fathers’ mission to be fulfilled.
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