SaskGaming pledges $25K sponsorship to Regina community association

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The Al Ritchie Community Association (ARCA) is happy to accept an oversized cheque for a one-time $25,000 donation from SaskGaming as a critical boost to its neighbourhood programming in 2025.

“Any opportunity like this, it allows us to stabilize what we do,” said ARCA executive director Denis Simard, joined by SaskGaming president Blaine Pilatzke to announce the funding on Wednesday.

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The new sponsorship will be used to directly support the Second Chance Clothing Shop, a donation-driven initiative that offers free clothing to more than 1,200 people per year. The funds are also slated to impact various adult and senior programs offered at the Core Ritchie Community Centre.

Simard said the grant is an important addition to help the association continue to serve the Al Ritchie neighbourhood and the greater Regina community.

“The level of need in this community is huge (and) it always saddens us when we have to turn someone away,” said Simard. “So, this is filling a huge need for a couple months for us, to know that it’s one less thing we need to worry about.”

Pilatzke said ARCA’s impact in the community is part of the reason why SaskGaming chose it as a recipient.

“Our employees live in this neighbourhood. We have guests that live in this neighbourhood, who work here and play here, and so we really like to find these opportunities to support local associations that our employees can engage with,” said Pilatzke.

The donation arrives after ARCA announced in January that it would not receive a $10,000 grant pledged in 2024 by retailer Peavey Mart due to the chain’s impending nationwide closure.

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Simard said SaskGaming’s donation is separate from that situation, adding that another local business has anonymously stepped up to match the lost grant.

The pledge by SaskGaming makes it an official sponsor of the Second Chance Clothing Shop this year. Pilatzke said the intention is to continue to be a partner in the future, a hope Simard shared.

“The fact that they have their name on it allows them to come back and be a partner,” Simard said.

SaskGaming has allotted more than $250,000 of its annual sponsorship budget to non-profit organizations and community initiatives in Regina.

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