Catholic schools question casino fundraisers
CALGARY, AB—A task force commissioned by the Calgary Catholic School Board has recommended establishing a district-wide foundation to replace questionable casino revenue.
Casino gambling makes up to $2 million in Catholic school funding every year, says Board of Trustees chairwoman Cathie Williams. The task force was created to find alternate funding methods and will try to disassociate the school board from casinos and bingos.
Fred Henry, Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary, warned in a letter last year that if the fundraisers didn't stop, he would not preside over the board's annual opening meeting and would blacklist schools that use gambling revenues. The bishop reached a compromise with the board of trustees last September, allowing school councils to follow through on previously booked commitments.
"The complexity of the situation has become very clear," says Williams, noting that the task force was not able to set a target date for the 98 schools in the division to eliminate bingos and casinos from their fundraising efforts. "It's not as simple as it seems."
Henry was not available for comment, but has been vocal in the local media about the unacceptable nature of casino fundraising. "We are walking in the direction of our hope of becoming more completely who we say we are, and that is Catholic," the bishop has been quoted as saying.
Williams says she has been open to cooperation in the past. "We have never not wanted to work with our bishop. The how and the when is the issue. We want to make sure that no schoools will be harmed."
The school board's position on gambling is that it is not in itself wrong, but its proliferation in our society has become morally problematic.
"This seemed to happen in the late 1990's with the arrival of VLTs. You can go into any corner restaurant, and there's a VLT. Bingos have been around forever and it never seemed to be a concern," says Williams.
The school's staff casinos which run every 18 months receive as much as $85,000 over a two-day commitment. They also receive matching grants from the government. Williams says no one saw this as an issue at the time.
The $2 million raised each year is directed to programs such as music, drama, athletics and field trips. It's also used to build play structures and help low-income students pay school fees.
The Calgary Catholic Board of Trustees will take the task force recommendation to the community for input and will reach a decision by June.
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
