This spring, Preferred Systems, Inc. partnered with a number of community organizations in the Erie area to educate local children on the negative consequences of gambling addiction. The culminating event was a play starring students from the Erie School District. The play, titled, “The Luckiest Grandpa” was based on a short story called, “The Luckiest Grandma” taken from the “Wanna Bet” curriculum. Participating community organizations included The Future Stars from the John E. Horan Garden Apartments and the Erie Heights/Pineview YMCA Kids Club. The play took place on April 10th, 2014 at the Hirt Auditorium at the Blasco Library. Four hundred students from the Erie School District attended the debut performance.
Preferred Systems, Inc. currently teaches the “Wanna Bet” curriculum in the Erie, Millcreek, and Union City School Districts in grades three through eight. The play is commonly used within the classroom as a group assignment. Its popularity with the students motivated PSI to pursue a stage version in order to further its outreach efforts to teach gambling prevention.