Heart of Canal Street Returns With More Than $500,000 in Donations to Six Local Charities

MILWAUKEE (December 13, 2021) – Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is proud to announce the return of its Heart of Canal Street program in 2021 with the announcement of five $100,000 donations to children’s charities in southeast Wisconsin.

Each of the organizations was chosen by Potawatomi leadership for exemplary service to the community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue programming as parts of the area still struggling.

In addition, a $25,000 donation is being made to the Waukesha County Community Foundation to assist in helping the victims of the events of Nov. 21.

“We are so honored and humbled to present these amazing organizations with a donation through our Heart of Canal Street program,” Potawatomi Hotel & Casino CEO/General Manager Dominic Ortiz said. “The work they have done and continue to do shows true compassion and dedication to our community.”

These are the five organizations receiving $100,000 donations:

Digital Bridge: Digital Bridge promotes digital inclusion by providing affordable technology and digital literacy to vulnerable and underfunded populations. During the pandemic, Digital Bridge partnered with Milwaukee Public Schools and the United Way to help meet demand for technology and will use Heart of Canal Street funds to provide more families with hardware and access to affordable broadband Internet.

Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center: The Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center provides health, peace, and well-being services to urban Indians in the greater Milwaukee area. Heart of Canal Street funds will be used for the Health Center’s “Youth Empowerment Program,” which uses a variety of services to engage Native American youth including summer day camp and mental health programming.

Hunger Task Force:  Hunger Task Force is a local organization striving to meet the needs of hungry people throughout southeast Wisconsin free of charge. Heart of Canal Street funds will be used to provide fresh and healthy food to through its food box delivery program. Food is delivered to quarantined children and to those from families of domestic violence.

Journey House: Journey House provides adult and childhood educational opportunities along with youth development and family engagement to the near south side of Milwaukee. Heart of Canal Street funds will be used for youth development programs which provide services to 2,000 economically challenged, predominantly Latino youth, through educational, social, physical, mental health and creative development.

Running Rebels: Running Rebels offers mentoring, educational support, community organizing assistance, and violence prevention to primarily black youth between the ages of 12-25. Heart of Canal Street funds will be used for the “Community Mentoring Program,” which provides intensive mentoring with youth at risk of becoming involved with the juvenile justice system.

MORE ABOUT HEART OF CANAL STREET

Heart of Canal Street is Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s signature community program that raises funds for children’s charities in southeast Wisconsin. The program has raised more than $20 million for hundreds of area organizations since 1994. It began as a way to carry on the Potawatomi tradition of nurturing younger generations so they grow to lead healthy, productive lives.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.