Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America Urges Public to Vote YES on Amendment F
Nonprofits Raise Critical Funds For Those In Need
November ballot initiative would give charitable organizations option to pay volunteers ~
COLORADO, USA (October 13, 2022) – For more than 70 years, many of Colorado’s nonprofit organizations have relied on revenue generated from charitable bingo games to help fund their missions to serve others in need. Since 1973, the Mountain States Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America (“MSCPVA”) has been using the funds raised from bingo games to support their mission – empowering brave men and women to regain what they fought for: their freedom and independence. The MSCPVA provides unparalleled services to Veterans who suffer from spinal cord injuries and diseases like ALS and MS.
Unfortunately, a trend is threatening the MSCPVA’s and other nonprofit organizations’ abilities to raise critical funds through charitable bingo. Since 1991, the state has seen a 25% reduction in charitable bingo licenses and a 68% reduction in charitable bingo play. That has resulted in a 51% reduction in money spent to support nonprofit activities. This decline is due in large part to a shrinking number of volunteers to assist with and oversee the charitable bingo games.
“Our current state constitution does not allow charitable organizations to offer any kind of compensation to people who assist at bingo games. At the same time, our ability to find willing volunteers to staff these events gets harder each year and we are losing critical revenue because of it. The compensation prohibition adopted in 1980 is severely outdated and our bingo laws need to be more reflective of today’s reality,” said Izzy Abbass, MSCPVA President and Army Veteran.
Nonprofit organizations around Colorado, including MSCPVA support an upcoming November ballot measure (Amendment F) that would give charitable organizations the option to compensate bingo volunteers, up to the minimum wage, to help run their charitable bingo events. The amendment would also reduce, from five to three, the number of years a charitable organization must exist in good standing before being able to apply for a charitable bingo license.
“Unlike casino gambling, charitable bingo revenues are reinvested into the communities where we all live and work. Charitable bingo funds are critical to our organization, and we must do all we can to strengthen the ability of charitable organizations to raise these critical funds. I urge everyone to vote YES on Amendment F this November 8th and support all the important work charities like ours do in communities across Colorado,” added MSCPVA Executive Director Laura Gibson.
For more information about the valuable work done in Colorado communities please visit MSCPVA.org.
