聽 聽 聽After much anticipation, the 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.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he pub was packed,鈥� says Cathy Burton of Arcola. 鈥淭here wasn't an empty seat in the place.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 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. 鈥淚'm ecstatic,鈥� she says. 鈥淲ith 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.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淎 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,鈥� says Carter. 鈥淲hen 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.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 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聽 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.
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 would like to thank the entire community for all their support,鈥� says Carter. 鈥淚t'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.鈥�
聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 think we're going to make this an annual event. This year, we'd like to get the tickets out by summer,鈥� she says.
聽聽聽聽聽 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.
聽聽聽聽 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.
