Central Community Homes’ first-ever 50/50 raffle has come to a close, with the final jackpot reaching $20,240, and half of that going to one lucky winner.
Dave Kasdorf, who spearheaded the initiative, says the community’s response to the draw was encouraging from the beginning.
“The reception was really good. A lot of support for the community project, the 28-unit apartment building that we're constructing on the corner of Main Street and North Railway Ave,” he said. “And so, once people understood what the fundraising raffle was for, we certainly got an uptick in ticket sales.”
The draw took place just ahead of the cheque presentation, which was held at the Central Community Homes board meeting on July 2, with the winning ticket belonging to Winkler’s Dah Blet, who received a cheque for $10,120.
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A fun way to raise funds and give back
“Oh, it feels fantastic,” said Kasdorf. “We asked her and her family what the plans were for the money, and she said, ‘At this point we're going to put it in savings...’ it's a young family here from Winkler, and they're super excited to win the jackpot.”
Kasdorf also shared that the success of this raffle could shape what future fundraising efforts wind up looking like.
“The fundraising for central community homes will continue, maybe in different formats, but we wanted to try a 50/50 raffle because we thought it would be a fun way of raising funds and giving back to the community, giving away a cheque for over $10,000 to this young family was a pretty great feeling.”
Kasdorf also took time to thank everyone who purchased tickets or made additional donations toward the affordable housing project.
“We certainly want to thank the Community for donating, helping out with the raffle and any of the additional donations we received for the Central Community homes 28-unit apartment block in Winkler,” he said. “The project is being built by K Block Developments, a local developer, and it's on time and on budget. And we are looking at welcoming our first tenants in the beginning of September.”
- photo provided by Dave Kasdorf -