How your local club and unit can help out

In July 2011 (21^st – 31^st), the North American Bridge Championships are being hosted in Toronto. Players from across North America and around the world will be here to test their bridge. As hosts we are busy planning the following:

We need your help to make this a success. Here's how you can help.

Clubs: In Unit 166 we have dedicated our Unit Championship games as fundraisers for the NABC from now until the tournament. We ask that, if you want to run one of these games, contact Martin Hunter for the sanction, charge $1.00 extra for the NABC, and submit the extra $1/player to NABC c/o Brigitte Blackhouse, 1195 Vanier Drive, Mississauga, L5H 3W9.

Alternatively, run a special game/games at your club that are designated NABC fundraisers and charge an extra $1 ($0.50? $0.25?) for the NABC fund. Or charge the extra $1 and award ½ to the winner that day … or to the person sitting at 6EW ... to the person who parked farthest from the front door... or to the person who first took a trick with the 7 of spades... or let it build to a good sized pot and award ½ to the first pair that gets a 70% game and start building the pot again. (Or make the extra charge optional and only those who have paid the extra for that game are eligible for the prize. Like the Lotto Max lottery it will build and more and more folks will choose to enter as the prize pot builds!)

What about running a few “prize pots” at your club simultaneously. Ex. You have 2 0-1000 games and 2 0-300 games and 3 Open games. In each field you run a Players Pool. Players contribute $1 and the the pair who scores 70% in their field wins 50% of the pot (rest to NABC). In the next game in that field, the winning percentage is 69.9. In the next game it's 69.8 etc. Of course, if you have the winning score but didn't enter the pool, you cannot win!! After the NABC is over, you might want to use this idea as a fundraiser for your favouite charity.

Clubs/Tournaments: Run a 50/50 draw at a regular weekly/monthly/tournament game from now until the NABC with 50% of the funds going to the winner of the draw and the other 50% to the NABC as indicated above.

Clubs: Run a special party game/night/BBQ with an extra charge as a fundraiser for the NABC. (I hope to run a Court Whist game at our local club on a Friday or Saturday night with food etc. and prizes. This evening will not require that all participants be bridge players so that players will feel better about bringing non-bridge playing spouses to a party at the club.)

Clubs/Tournaments: Run a silent auction/silent bridge auction where some of your strongest players will offer themselves for auction for a game at a local club or tournament. Perhaps local hotels that are sites for tournaments will offer a free room that can be raffled off to a lucky winner. Maybe some of your club crafters/artisans will be willing to offer some of their work for a raffle prize.

Units/Clubs: Sponsor a day or a game at the NABC. So far, Unit 166 has a day as does the CBF. Each of the days are $5000 but you can sponsor a game within a day for less than that. Ex. Sponsor the Intermediate/Newcomer games for a specific day or the Knock Out Teams for a day … or for the tournament! Name the Pairs event on a given day after a player or a local site or team (ex. Waterloo Warriors Pairs or Western Mustang Board-a-Match!)

Units/Clubs: Perhaps you know of an individual or a business that you think will be willing to sponsor some of our events. We have lots of ideas but are lacking some of the contacts. If you, or someone you know, has the personal contact with one of these people we would appreciate knowing them. Ex. Maybe you know the President of CNR or are bridge partners with the CFO of Manulife Financial or your sister-in-law is a partner in Shopper's Drug. We don't know if we don't ask!

To all of you, thank you for taking the time to read this and consider the requests that we are making. We are working to make this the best possible tournament and, with your help, we can.