By OnMilwaukee Staff Writers   Published Dec 17, 2018 at 4:29 PM

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino announced today that the 25th Annual Heart of Canal Street fundraising campaign raised $1,161,747 which will help benefit 31 children’s charities in southeastern Wisconsin.

"The 25th annual Heart of Canal Street campaign has certainly been an exciting and inspiring one for all of us at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino," said CEO and General Manager Rodney Ferguson. "None of these gifts would be possible without the vision and support for Heart of Canal Street from the Forest County Potawatomi community."

$100,000 will be awarded to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s 2018 "Charity of Choice," Pathfinders Milwaukee Inc. Pathfinders is dedicating those funds its "New Paths" program, which provides services to youth impacted by sex trafficking.

The other 30 charities will each receive more than $35,000 each, including Danceworks, sponsored by OnMilwaukee. That includes 10 "Signature Charities" selected by the Heart of Canal Street media partners earlier this year.

  • City Year Milwaukee – presented by Lamar Outdoor
  • Danceworks – presented by OnMilwaukee
  • Exploit No More, Inc. – presented by iHeart Media
  • Hunger Task Force – presented by Clear Channel Outdoor
  • Junior Achievement Wisconsin — presented by WITI-TV, FOX 6
  • Lake Valley Camp – presented by WDJT-TV, CBS58
  • Neighborhood House of Milwaukee – presented by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  • REDGen – presented by Fox Sports Network
  • Walker’s Point Center for the Arts – presented by 88nine Radio Milwaukee
  • The Women’s Center – presented by Entercom Media

Plus, the following charities will receive a donation after hearing their names called during the Heart of Canal Street annual Random Drawing last month:

  • Adoption Choice, Inc.
  • Aurora Family Services
  • Bong Naturalist Association
  • Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha
  • Elevate, Inc.
  • FRIENDS, Inc.
  • Good Friend, Inc.
  • Helping Hands Healing Hooves
  • IndependenceFirst
  • Kenosha Human Development Services Inc.
  • Kyle’s Korner – The Reiman Center for Grieving Children, Teens
  • Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
  • Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club
  • Ozaukee Family Services
  • Parents Place, Inc.
  • Prevent Blindness Wisconsin
  • Schauer Arts & Activities Center
  • The Threshold, Inc.
  • Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association
  • Woodland Pattern Book Center

Heart of Canal Street started in 1994. That first year 18 charities each received $4,500 each. Twenty-five years later the number of local charities receiving funds is in the hundreds, and the amount of money raised for those charities is now more than $19 million.

For more information, please go here.