Twenty-one years ago, President and CEO of SEFCU Michael Costellana found himself in what he called an “unpleasant situation.” He was playing Monopoly in a fundraiser hosted by Key Bank and the four women at his table would not play nicely.
“They wouldn’t sell me anything. They wouldn’t buy anything. I went bankrupt and lost miserably,” Costellana said, laughing. “I said, ‘We have to have our own tournament.’”
Costellana decided to call the Center for Disability Services to set up his own Monopoly tournament that would raise money for the center. Strings were pulled, plans were made and the following year, 40 players tried out the classic game at the first SEFCU Monopoly Tournament.
This year, on Tuesday, May 7, 305 players took on the challenge at The Albany Marriott on Wolf Road for the 21st Annual SEFCU Monopoly Tournament and helped raise $20,000 for the center.
“Monopoly is just an excuse to get people together and have fun. But this is really about raising awareness for those in need,” Costellana said. “It could be any board game, but has been Monopoly every year.”
Individuals and corporate sponsors pay a fee to enter and all the funds go directly to the center. The Center for Disability Services provides services to more than 15,000 individuals with disabilities in the Capital District and beyond, including schools, medical and dental centers, residential services, transportation and adult programs. The center has 75 locations in 15 counties in New York, and serves 27 states. Since the Monopoly tournament began, SEFCU has helped raise $200,000 for the center.
“It is an incredible event and as Michael Costellana says, all the people in this room, especially in the SEFCU foundation, are part of the center’s family,” spokesperson for the Center of Disability Services Anne Schneider Costigan said. “The center’s tagline is, ‘Where people get better at life,’ and we truly believe that all the people here have touched anyone in the center.”
Costellano said he decided to partner with the center because they “change people’s lives.”
“They’re amazing. We want to be part of the life-changing process,” he said. “We can’t do that on our own. They change lives every single day.”
Michelle Canaday brought her 10-year-old daughter Amanda to the event. She has been helped by the center for years.
“Amanda was born and it was not long before we knew she had a long road ahead of her. (The Center for Disability Services) taught Amanda how to hold up her head, sit up, drink,” Canaday said. “The center was not just a place for us. It was becoming our family. They are selfless people. We would be lost without our center services and staff.”
While raising money is the primary goal of the tournament, most of the players participating are in it to win it. Players must strictly follow the Monopoly rules and play as teams comprised of random individual players, who pay $30 apiece to enter, or as “company moguls,” who pay $500. Teams play the game in one 90-minute round and the top four players out of all 305 entrants are chosen to compete for the top spot in a final round scored on assets. This year, Meredith Hartman from NYSID won the competition and was awarded $5,000 from SEFCU to be given to the charity of her choice. Hartman donated the money to the Center for Disability Services Clover Patch Camp.
Many SEFCU employees have been playing in the friendly competition for years. Casey Ferguson, of Guilderland, said she’s been participating for the past four years and loves Monopoly for its “wheeling and dealing.”
“I love this event. It’s really fun to get together with my coworkers,” she said. “It’s also a really great cause.”
Terri Boland, from the Saint Anne Institute, was trying out her second year at the fundraiser. She said last year she was timid, but her favorite part about the game is winning and she didn’t want to hold back this year.
Others have had their ups and downs. SEFCU employee Linda MacLead said she’s been attending the event for the past 10 years and oftentimes makes it to the final round. This year, however, she was handed the Bankruptcy Award after being the very first player in the competition to go completely bankrupt.
“I just love everything,” she said. “I ran out of money and I made bad investments. Next year I’ll win it all.”
Costigan said her favorite part about the game is SEFCU’s fundraising efforts.
“Monopoly as game is fun but to me, it goes beyond that because now it raises money for our center,” she said.