Kevanna Portraits

Supplied by OLG… Toronto, ON – The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) would like to congratulate Joe Ruscio of Sault Ste. Marie, who was selected to be a Pan Am torchbearer in the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Torch Relay. As a Presenting Partner of the Pan Am Games Torch Relay, OLG invited the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce to participate in the OLG Pass it ONtario Program which gives Ontarians the opportunity to be a Pan Am torchbearer.

“I am overjoyed to be given the opportunity to represent Sault Ste. Marie in the Pan Am Torch Relay!” said Joe Ruscio, 2014 recipient of the Sault Ste. Marie Paul Dalseg Award. “Knowing the substantial selection criteria the Chamber used to choose a torchbearer, the fact that I was chosen makes me feel very honoured.”

Through the OLG Pass It ONtario Program, the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce selected Joe to carry the Pan Am torch as it makes its way through Sault Ste. Marie because he embodies the core characteristics of the Torch Relay: community, celebration, participation and pride.

“An outstanding leader and community-minded businessperson, Joe signifies the spirit of a Pan Am torchbearer,” said Mark Barsanti, President of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce. “He is a dedicated philanthropist taking action to create awareness of poverty concerns in our community and raising funds to assist the local soup kitchen. By carrying the torch Joe will share the excitement and spirit of the Pan Am Games with all of us.”

“OLG would like to thank the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce for selecting an outstanding member of the community to carry the torch through the OLG Pass It ONtario Program,” said Stephen Rigby, President and CEO of OLG. “We are thrilled to be able to give exceptional people from across the province the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a Pan Am torchbearer and help ignite the spirit of the Pan Am Games. Congratulations, Joe.”

The Torch Relay will start in Canada on May 30, 2015. The 41-day journey will share the Pan Am Games spirit in more than 130 communities and will make its final stop on July 10, 2015, at the Opening Ceremony in Toronto.

OLG is a provincial agency responsible for province-wide lottery games and gaming facilities. Since 1975, OLG has provided nearly $40 billion to the Province and the people of Ontario. OLG’s annual payments to the Province have helped support health care; education, research, prevention and treatment of problem gambling; amateur sport through the Quest for Gold program; and local and provincial charities.