Chase the Ace, a year later: Why a Goulds parish is cautious about that huge windfall
Hundreds of volunteers. Thousands of spectators. Millions of dollars.
About a year ago the scene in the Goulds every Wednesday night, as the Chase the Ace competition at a local parish reached its thrilling conclusion, was pandemonium.
Things look much different outside St. Kevin's Parish these days, but they aren't as transformed inside the church as you might expect given the $5.8 million raised in Chase the Ace earnings.
"We had no clue that it would ever get as large as it did," said Carol O'Brien, chair of the parish's finance committee.
There have been a few changes to the church, inside and out. New railings were put on the steps, and the inside of the church got a fresh coat of paint. Some minor plaster repairs were done and a new P.A. system — "badly needed," O'Brien said — was installed. The floors and carpets were all properly cleaned, and an extra washroom was put in.
'We're not gonna squander it'
In all the changes are ones that add up but wouldn't qualify as extravagant. The additions or upgrades have been necessary ones, O'Brien said, not splurges.
"We're very cognizant of the fact that it's money that was raised for our parish and we're not gonna squander it or waste it or do anything else with it," she said.
"We're going to do what needs to be done and we're going to make sure that the money that we don't spend is going to be invested."
St. Kevin's has also spread some of the wealth around the wider community. They held a volunteer appreciation night, with a buffet supper for the volunteers who helped run the Chase the Ace events, in October. Some help was given to the community schools, as well as to the local Anglican parish. St. John Ambulance was very helpful during the event, O'Brien said, and they also received a donation.
That's not to say that others haven't requested assistance, she said.
"It's like when someone wins the lottery — they always get contacted by certain individuals," O'Brien said.
"And you know, that's it. We deal with them on an individual basis and, you know, see what we can do."
Still a large pot leftover
The bulk of the parish's Chase the Ace take remains. O'Brien said there is still $5 million in the pot. The parish intends to use that money to ensure its needs are cared for in the long term, ensuring that the children and grandchildren of the community can use the money's interest and need never worry about keeping the building's lights or heat going.
"We have to be careful of every cent that we spend," she said.
"We're very, very careful about how we spend it and we're not going to fritter away on foolishness."
Even without new extravagances to get accustomed to, it took some time to adjust to post-Chase life, O'Brien said.
"Wednesday nights I'd be saying 'my God, what am I going to do with myself?' I was, for the longest while, like that," she said.
"Wednesday night, for a whole year, you're doing one thing and then all of a sudden it's not there anymore. It took a really long time. I still miss it. Still miss it. Everyone I talk to, same thing."
O'Brien isn't sure why Chase the Ace took off for her parish, more than it had in any before and has in any in the province since. She suspects the strong sense of community in the Goulds had a lot to do with it, and figures that the church's big boss can get behind that considering the good that came out of it.
"So many people really profited from it. It wasn't just us in the parish, but every business in the Goulds did phenomenal last summer — like, I mean they tripled and quadrupled sales," she said.
"I think the fact that it brought people together, and that community spirit, I'd say God looked at it, smiled, and said, 'Well done.'"
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