The announcement of $125,000 donation going to the Canadian Mental Health Association - Swift Current Branch had numerous people in tears yesterday.

iA Financial Group provided the six-digit giant cheque to the branch as the grand prize winners of the company's second-annual philanthropic contest.

The key to Swift Current getting the nod over cities that had upwards of 100,000 people was a story written by Jacqui Williams, the executive director for CMHA - Swift Current Branch, and the support they were able to drum up during the voting process.

"I never underestimated Swift Current," she said. "But I wondered because you could go in and see your competition, but I didn't really know if they were in a town of 20,000 people or are they in a town with 100,000 people."

Williams believes a couple other things played big factors in the win including the board for the branch reining in votes, and that you could only vote once for the contest.

The essay Williams submitted to the contest put on by the Quebec City-based company, was about a young man with a significant mental illness that she had worked with at Partners in Employment and he didn't have any friends.

"I was talking about work is more than getting a cheque, it's like who you hang out with in the daytime, it's who you become, it's really who you are when you introduce yourself, you introduce yourself as your name and what you do," she said. "We were talking about that and I was saying you create friendships and you look forward to spending time with your coworkers, and he said 'friends would be nice' and he said it so matter-of-factly, and he said 'I haven't had friends in a long time', and I'm looking and he's 27 and that's devastating."

Last Thursday Williams got a call from iA Financial Group's Advisor in Philanthropy, Sponsorship and Donations Catherine Tardif about the contest but was left knowing they were in the top 10 but had no idea they had won until yesterday afternoon when the cheque was unveiled.

"I was kind of thinking 'oh well we will try' (with our entry)," Williams said. "I never imagined we'd get in the top 10, I never imagined that in a national competition a little place like us would even be recognized."

"When she called last week my spider sense was tingling, I was thinking we have to be more than (top) 10, there is no way they're sending out 10 crews this close to Christmas, but then it was almost too much to hope for. Then she showed up today and she's clinging onto the big cheque and it's like how much? I still can't believe we're first, we're very lucky."

As for the funds that the Swift Current Branch won from the contest, it will be split into three areas.

"We have a long-term higher interest saving account that all of our building money goes into, so part of the money will go into that," she said. "Part of the money is earmarked for a part-time staff and then part is just general operations."

The hope is by 2020 to buy a building with double the space they currently have, and stay in a location downtown.

And with the extra funds will they will be able to expand from two and a half full-time positions to three and have enough to pay for the extra part-time position for two years.