RANKIN INLET
The ace of spades is about to become the most sought after playing card in Rankin Inlet this week.

Recreation co-ordinator David Clark shows the rules for the new Chase-the-Ace fundraiser being jointly sponsored by the Rankin Inlet Fire Department and the Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association in Rankin this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The Rankin Inlet Volunteer Fire Department and the Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association (RIMHA) have teamed up to bring the first Chase-the-Ace fundraiser to Rankin to raise much-needed cash for the two community organizations.

Chase the Ace is extremely popular in Eastern Canada, and its popularity has been slowly spreading across the country over the past two years.

Fire Chief Mark Wyatt said both he and RIMHA president David Clark had been mulling over the idea of trying Chase the Ace as a fundraiser in Rankin when they decided to give it a go together and split the proceeds.

He said both RIMHA and the fire department are pretty good at organizing things and raising money, so he and Clark sat down to hash-out the particulars.

"We will be selling tickets for this at the community hall from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday afternoons only, with the first ticket sale and draw being held on March 3," said Wyatt.

"Chase the Ace works around a standard 52-card deck of playing cards, and the minimum jackpot in our game is $5,000.

"We sell tickets during the afternoon and then, at 5 p.m., we draw the winning ticket.

"Whoever has the winning ticket automatically wins 20 per cent of the ticket sales for that day and they get to pick one card from the deck; winning the grand prize if they pull the ace of spades and, if not, the card drawn is eliminated from the deck and the jackpot carries forward, continually growing, from week to week until somebody pulls the ace of spades."

The Rankin Chase the Ace is set up so that 20 per cent of the ticket sales each week go to the person with the winning ticket, while 30 per cent goes into the jackpot and the remaining 50 per cent is split between RIMHA and the fire department.

Wyatt said the cost of running a busy minor-hockey program in the community is fairly self-explanatory when it comes to the costs involved, and the fire department is trying to raise money for a few projects it has on the go, including the construction of a small garage to house some of its smaller rescue vehicles.

He said the department plans to purchase a side-by-side this coming summer and the garage is needed to house the unit.

"A garage would also provide space to maintain and store our snowmobiles, and it would be perfectly located between the two sea cans we have in front of the station.

"We're in constant need of equipment, such as auto-extrication tools, and, at some point, I'd like to build an extension onto the back of the hall, which is a pretty major capital investment.

"We also give back to the community on certain occasions.

"A lot of our donations aren't publicized, but we like to help people out where we can."