Oilers ‘50/50 fever’ jump-starts other charitable fundraisers

Edmonton charitable organizations hit the jackpot with sold-out fundraisers thanks to a bump from the Oilers massive 50/50 draw.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis announced in July large raffles could be held online, something smaller draws have been doing for years.

Christmas Bureau of Edmonton executive director Darlene Kowalchuk said their raffle on July 26 was going slowly until last weekend when they sold out.

She said there’s no doubt the Oilers, who crashed out of the tournament with a Game 4 loss to Chicago, played a role in giving them a boost.

“People were talking about 50/50,” she said. “(People) were looking at who had raffles. The 50/50 fever in the city of Edmonton

definitely had a huge play on us selling out so quickly. I’m grateful. More than anything, (I’m grateful) people were thinking about us.”

The winner of the Christmas Bureau’s $20,000 50/50 raffle will be announced on Aug. 31.

The charitable organization provides assistance to families, seniors and individuals in need during the holiday season.

Fort Edmonton Foundation executive director Janet Tryhuba said their first draw in June raised more than $9,300 but their second raffle in July, which raised $20,000, sold out within a week.

“(The raffle) was still slow to move until the Oilers frenzy took off so we definitely attribute it to that,” she said. “We were kind of smart on it because we did tag the Oilers and 50/50 (on social media) and get those same followers seeing our message. Using social media definitely helped.”

The winner of the Fort Edmonton draw will be announced on Sept. 5. Money raised will go toward the park’s $11 million renovation project.

Kath Oltsher, co-director of Zoe’s Animal Rescue Society, said she was stunned by the amount of support the volunteer-run organization received on its draws but hopes people don’t become too tired of 50/50s.

“It’s a relatively fun way to help support a cause you like,” she said. “There’s also the added bonus of you could win. Most of the time with 50/50, you do have a fairly small pool of competition for a prize. Much better odds than, let’s say, for a lottery ticket.”

Oltsher said she’s planning to hold another draw this month.

Money raised will go toward saving vulnerable and at-risk animals.