Pistons 50/50 Payday Raises More Than $200K in Donations

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The Detroit Pistons 50/50 Payday charity raffle has raised more than $200,000 during its inaugural Pistons’ 2012-13 season, helping support non-profits throughout the State of Michigan, as well as the organization’s Come Together Foundation in support of volunteerism, youth leadership and NBA Cares.

Tonight, a special pregame, on-court check presentation at the Pistons-76ers regular season finale at The Palace to recognize the 26 non-profits and 36 individual raffle winners.

At every Pistons home game, Pistons 50/50 Payday gives one lucky fan a chance to win 50% of net raffle proceeds; the remaining net proceeds are shared by local charities and the Come Together Foundation. Using next generation 50-50 raffle technology, the Pistons became the first professional sports team or venue in the Detroit market to use a wireless 50-50 platform and only the second in the NBA. The Come Together Foundation partnered with Bump 50:50 to introduce the next generation in 50-50 raffles by using tablets and wireless technology with real-time running jackpots.

“The Palace and the Pistons were thrilled to be at the forefront of modernizing this raffle experience for our fans,” said Palace Sports & Entertainment President/CEO Dennis Mannion. “The technology gave our fans an interactive experience with the organization and with these incredible non-profits each night. And we were happy to be able to contribute to their fundraising.”

The season record, single-night Pistons 50/50 Payday jackpot totaled $11,111, when the Pistons beat the Miami Heat Dec. 28; a portion of those proceeds were given to Shoot for a Cure of the Henry Ford Health System.

The American Red Cross deployed volunteers on Nov. 16 vs. the Orlando Magic & Nov. 18 vs. the Boston Celtics to raise money and awareness for Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts. The Come Together Foundation donated their portion of the two-night jackpot – $11,775 – to the American Red Cross and Hurricane Sandy Relief.

Forgotten Harvest raised a $14,175 at three games this season – Dec. 3, March 6 and March 18. The Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce volunteers worked consecutive home games on Feb. 1 and Feb. 3, raising $12,194.

“The 50/50 program was a great way to help people in need throughout the community,” said Vince LaFata, senior volunteer coordinator at Forgotten Harvest. “The money raised will go a long way in helping people in need with fresh, nutritious food. A big thanks goes out to The Palace for letting Forgotten Harvest be a part of the 50/50 program and we would like to be involved in it for years to come.“

“The Come Together program offers an innovative way to reward individual ‘game changers’ and those organizations who positively contribute to our community on a daily basis,” said Denise Asker, Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce executive director. “The Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce celebrates this visionary initiative, which raises both awareness and funds for deserving stakeholders.”

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation was the first non-profit partner of the season to participate in October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Special Olympics, Kids Kicking Cancer, Matrix Human Services, the American Diabetes Association, the ALS Association, the Mosaic Youth Theatre, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Camp Casey, the Michigan Key Club, Cornerstone Schools, the Down Syndrome Guild of Southeast Michigan, Autism Speaks and the Miss Michigan Scholarship Fund also participated in the Pistons 50/50 Payday this season.

“We think this is a great opportunity for any organization to raise some money and create awareness for their group. We thank the Pistons for their support,” said Greg Smith, Michigan Key Club district administrator. “Our Michigan Key Club organization is excited about doing this again next season. The opportunity to talk to people about our organization while we are selling the tickets is fun and beneficial.”

Non-profits can participate in Pistons 50/50 Payday by applying at www.pistons.com. Organizations with 501(c)(3) non-profit status are eligible, with special consideration to those whose missions are aligned with the Come Together Foundation and the NBA Cares platform.

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About The Come Together Foundation: Re-launched in August 2012, The Come Together Foundation is a designated 501(c)(3) public charity. It was originally founded in 1989 as the Pistons-Palace Foundation, a private foundation. The mission aims to utilize the foundation as an effective tool to support overall Come Together vision and mission by strategically collaborating with community organizations to raise awareness and provide financial support in areas of volunteerism, youth leadership and those identified as NBA Cares sponsored programs.

About Bump 50:50: Bump 50:50 signifies the evolution of the 50-50 raffle and uses proprietary and secure, in-venue, mobile transactional software. Bump 50:50 is the new in-venue, easy to play fundraising effort providing fans the opportunity to win 50% of the amount raised during live sports and entertainment events, with the rest going to the event’s non-profit charity. The goal is to raise a maximum amount of money for non-profit charities during live sports and entertainment events, while adding extra fun and entertainment value for fans.