First Nations Community Benefits from Lottery Win
For Marie Fontaine, a citizen of Manitoba, it all started with a single lottery ticket which she purchased earlier this year at a convenience store at the Broadlands Mall in Pine Falls.
The purchase resulted in a $50 million windfall, believed to be the biggest single family win in Canada's lottery history.
But instead of spending all the money on themselves, or moving away from the Sagkeeng First Nation community in Manitoba which the couple calls home, Marie and Kirby Fontaine have decided to give back to their community in a big way.
Kirby Fontaine's first project was to provide employment opportunities for the local men, who are sometimes forced to move to other communities to find work.
These make-work projects pay men around $100 a day to beautify the community through work ventures such as clearing brush along the roadside.
Another problem on the reserve is housing and the Fontaines have already invested in several ready to move homes which are in the process of being shipped to the reserve.
Social projects also involve the local school, where many children would turn up for hungry at the beginning of the day, without the means to purchase lunch.
The Fontaines are sponsoring the school's hot breakfast and lunch programs and the principal has noted that the kids are learning better.
"It's cut down on discipline problems. They're not hungry. They can learn," he said.
In the month since they bagged the lottery, the Fontaines have made careful choices with the money earned from the Western Canada Lottery Corp.
However, what is clear is that this couple has made a decision to use their newfound riches to make a profound effect on their immediate community - and the results are already beginning to show.
