The elusive ace of hearts was found Wednesday night, bringing an end to an almost year-long Chase the Ace in support of the Lloydminster Exhibition Association.
The event came to a close as Jordan Degoedge’s name was drawn, and his stand-in proxy drew the winning card. In the end, he took home over $730,000 in winnings. Over the course of the contest as well, over $400,000 was handed in portions to weekly winners.
Ray Foy, the chairperson of the Chase the Ace Committee, says aside from the big jackpot, the weekly winnings were a help for many, especially in the current economy.
“There have been so many people who’ve come up to me and tell me that we don’t realize how much that’s going to help them in their households, just financially, especially during COVID, there’s been a lot of people who need that money, so it’s been great giving it away.”
The Chase the Ace going on as long as it did will also be a huge help for the Exhibition as well, Foy explains. While they’re still working on getting a final total, over $1,000,000 is expected to be what the Exhibition receives from the charity draw.
While it was originally going to be used for purchasing land to expand, the Exh did receive a grant for that project. Now, the funds will be used to support numerous repairs, new equipment and other needs for the community hub.
Foy says that he’s thankful for all of the community support, even beyond financially. When the draws began to ramp up and volunteers were needed to meet demand people would come, sometimes bringing their entire work-crews or members of their family along for extra hands.
All of this support, Foy notes, will help the Lloydminster Exhibition continue to be the place that brings the community together for years to come.
“The Lloyd Exh is a place that I took my kids to for fairs, and [we have] just many amounts of great memories, and I’ll take my grandkids there, there are so many other people that are going to do the same. If it wasn’t for that who knows where it could have ended up. So we’ll continue doing what we do because that’s what we love to do.”
Foy now notes that the volunteers will be taking a “well-deserved summer off” before considering the possibility of a new Chase the Ace, or event like it, in the near future.