And no one will be happier with the wildly popular annual draw than Lee Anne Foreman of Three Hills, Alta.
It was Foreman who had ticket number 3985 drawn for the grand prize of $60,000 at the Bent Nail Cafe in Mossbank on June 5. She now has her choice of the cash prize or one of four prize packages that include everything from tractors and farm implements to brand new Chevrolet trucks and cars.
Foreman is the first person to claim the new-and-improved grand prize, which was increased by $10,000 over previous year’s offerings.
“This year we increased the prize money and the number of tickets we had for sale and it looks like it really paid off,” said Dare to Dream Lottery organizer Colleen Stark. “I’m still putting things through the system so the final total isn’t in yet, but I think we’re definitely going to be making more than last year and last year we made $40,000, so we’ll be happy with that.”
Even the 50/50 draw — won by Rita and Lloyd Paulhus of Assiniboia — saw an increase in sales, giving away $22,820 compared to $19,250 last year.
While one would think the ongoing pandemic would have a negative impact on such an event, the exact opposite has been true.
“I think we were surprised after a hard year with COVID, but even this year with the same thing going on, these were the two best years we’ve ever had with the lottery,” Stark said. “People had the money so they were willing to spend it on good things.”
It certainly didn’t hurt to once again have massive support from the community. In addition to businesses stepping up and offering outstanding prizes, a dedicated crew of volunteers made sure everything went as smooth as possible when it came to ticket sales and everything else involved.
“We had so many people come out that I hadn’t seen volunteer before, so it was nice to see new faces and old faces, too,” Stark said. “They were the ones writing out the tickets and answering the phones for everyone, even calling our V.I.P. list was huge.”
And, of course, there was the support of the public.
“We saw a lot of returning customers in the beginning but when it came to the Radio Blitz (on June 2, 3 and 4), we had a lot of new purchasers, which was really cool,” Stark said. “And during the Blitz, we even had people stop in on their way to Assiniboia or Moose Jaw just to support us, so that was really nice to see.”
All proceeds from the lottery go to recreation organizations and facilities in the town of 360 people. While the final decisions have yet to be made, Stark expects funding to go to various projects including the construction of new dressing rooms in the Mossbank Centennial Arena.
For a complete rundown of the winners, check out the list below:
V.I.P Winner (had to have purchased last year to be eligible) - Bruce Jordison of Pilot Butte
$500 Prepaid Visa Gift Card sponsored by Agritax and Nagel Insurance Services Ltd - William Dyck from Osler
$500 Gift cards from Top Shelf Grocery and Skates n Skirts - Sandra Seniuk from Saskatoon
$500 Prepaid Visa Gift Card sponsored by Dale & Lisa's Farm & Auto Ltd. and R.W Organics - Percy Cowan from Comper, Alta.
$500 South Country Equipment gift card - Lorne Casat of Claydon
$500 South Country Equipment gift card - Wes Wiebe of Swift Current
$500 E. Bourassa & Sons gift card - Brett Tollefson of Mossbank
$500 Nelson GM gift card - Grant Hagley of Drinkwater
$500 Southland Co-op Ltd./Southland Co-op Mossbank Service Centre gift card - Gerald Dobranski of Regina
$500 Young's Equipment Inc. Assiniboia gift card - Lynne Setrum of Coronach
50/50 winner taking home $22,820 out of the $45,640 - Rita and Lloyd Paulhus of Assiniboia
Grand Prize Winner - LeeAnne Foreman of Three Hills, Alta.
