The ever-elusive ace has been found. The Meadow Lake Hospital Foundation wrapped up its third Chase the Ace fundraiser last Tuesday (Aug. 26), with Steve Grismer of the Dorintosh area netting more than $13,000 in winnings after 30 cards were drawn on the initiative’s final night. “It was a very successful year – the payout was $13,066.50,” stated Scott Campbell, Meadow Lake Hospital Foundation chair. “The bi-weekly draw, meanwhile, was for $2,566 and that went to Travis Bearboy. Again, it was very successful, and it’s a fundraiser completely ran by volunteers.” The recent Chase the Ace draw began last summer with 50 per cent of ticket sales going to the foundation. When all was said and done, the foundation earned close to $23,000 from this latest endeavour, money that will go toward the purchase of muchneeded equipment at the Meadow Lake Hospital.

“The money will continue to go toward building our overall fund, but we do have a list of equipment we would like to purchase for this year, Campbell said. “This is one of our major fundraisers of the year with the other one, of course, being the Festival of Trees, which is coming up in late November. Chase the Ace has been a good thing for us… A lot of people who don’t take part in the Festival of Trees will still buy a $5 ticket for Chase the Ace. We cater to a good cross-section of people.” Grismer agreed. “For $5 you can’t go wrong,” he said. “These days, $20 is the average price for anything anywhere you go. Being only $5, anybody can afford to at least buy one ticket for the hospital foundation’s Chase the Ace.”

Grismer purchased $40 worth of tickets in this year’s draw. “When they called me to say my name was drawn, the first thing I thought was someone was sh*tting me,” Grismer added. “After that, I was flabbergasted. I probably buy a minimum of $100 per month on tickets and this is the first time I have ever won anything significant. If I win $50 in the lotto, that’s a big win for me. This is great. I definitely will be buying more in the future.”

Grismer said he already has a few ideas of what he would like to spend his winnings on. “I’m going to fix a few things around the farm, and get a few personal things,” he said. “I’d also like to thank the Meadow Lake Hospital Foundation and the volunteers who put this on. It takes a lot. I’m part of the Dorintosh Wildlife Federation and we’re going down because we simply can’t get enough members to come out… You need guys like Scott and everyone else to keep anything going. Volunteers are very important.” Campbell, meanwhile, said things came down to the wire before the winner was decided. “We drew 31 cards that night – there was only one card left when Steve’s name came up,” he said. He also said, while e-transfers are available for those who would like to purchase tickets for future draws, they will also be available for purchase at the hospital itself. “Again, it’s all the volunteers are the ones who make this happen,” Grismer said. Campbell echoed this. “Shelley Arnold is our vice-chair and Connie Marsh-Yuhasz is our treasurer, and those two people do the lion’s share of the work when it comes to Chase the Ace,” he said. “Without them it wouldn’t fly. All the board members are important, but those two deserve special recognition.” The next Chase the Ace will be launched in late February, Campbell said, after the upcoming Festival of Trees.