After much anticipation, the Arcola Daycare announced the first winner of its Trip of the Month lottery, and Leanne Jackson of Wawota was declared the first of 12 lucky ticket holders at the draw, held at Buddy's Pub in Arcola, Thursday, Jan. 8. Jackson won a trip for two adults and two children to California's Disneyland, valued at $4,300. The winner of the monthly cash draw of $120 was Thyra Hjertaas of Redvers.
“The pub was packed,” says Cathy Burton of Arcola. “There wasn't an empty seat in the place.”
The fundraiser's 500 tickets were a quick sell-out, according to Ghislaine Carter of Arcola, who is in charge of fundraising for the Arcola Daycare. “I'm ecstatic,” she says. “With the daycare moving into a new, larger building, we knew we needed to raise a significant amount of money in a relatively short period of time.”
“A friend of mine who also lives in a small community in Saskatchewan told me about a fundraiser they did for their rink, and I thought what a good idea it was,” says Carter. “When we put ours together, we encouraged each family from the daycare to sell a book of 10 tickets at $120 per ticket. We didn't know how long it would take to sell 500 tickets, but in reality, they sold out really quickly.”
By purchasing a ticket, buyers are not only supporting Arcola's much-needed daycare facility. A ticket also buys the chance of winning $120 with each draw of 2015, as well as the opportunity to win a spectacular adventure each month, including trips to: Las Vegas, the 2015 Grey Cup in Winnipeg, a houseboat package valued at $2,200, a fishing trip to Devin Lake Lodge, a weekend at the Waterpark of America, a $600 Temple Gardens Mineral Spa voucher, five nights at B.C.'s Radium Hot Springs, an all inclusive vacation for four to Turks & Caicos, a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas, a Whistler ski trip and a week in Hawaii for two. The prize packages are valued at $35,340 in total.
“I would like to thank the entire community for all their support,” says Carter. “It's a great chance to win some great prizes, but I think people have the attitude that by purchasing a ticket, they're supporting their community-and they are.”
“I think we're going to make this an annual event. This year, we'd like to get the tickets out by summer,” she says.
Remaining draws will be held on the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at Buddy's Pub in Arcola. The next draw will be held there on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m.
The Arcola Daycare will also be holding a bottle drive on Sunday, Jan. 25. Please call Whitney at (306)-455-2186 for more information or to arrange pickup in Arcola or Carlyle.
