Moose Javian Devon Schaffer was excited to be the winner of the Shrine Club’s second annual car raffle, which offered ticket holders the chance to win a 1987 Little Red Corvette.
The corvette was purchased last year at the Barrett Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, AZ. — the largest car auction globally — and features an all-red interior and exterior and a supercharged engine.
Last year’s car raffle featured a special edition 1964 Player’s Mustang, which raised $41,900 for the club — $21,000 after factoring in the purchase of the car.
“It’s pretty good. I’ve never won nothin’ in my life (before),” Schaffer said on Sept. 21 while picking up his car from the Murray GM lot. He explained that a friend of his in the Shrine Club was selling tickets, so he asked for $100 worth of cards.
Besides being a cool car, Schaffer also acknowledged that buying tickets is for a good cause since the Shriners provide support for sick children across the country. The focus of this fundraiser was to cover transportation costs for kids and their families so they can receive specialized medical treatment from a Shriners hospital.
“I can’t wait to take it for a spin," Schaffer said with a smile, adding he doesn’t need a new vehicle, but he does love toys.
The Shrine Club made available 3,000 tickets for this year’s raffle at $20 each and sold every one of them, said raffle chairman Aaron Ruston. This was a great response from the community, as residents came on board for a great cause.
The club picked the raffle winner on Sept. 19 during a festive Show, Shrine and Cruise night event at Murray GM, he continued. The non-profit organization normally holds an annual fundraiser called Little Chicago Night that brings out 400 people — during which they pick the winner — but due to pandemic restrictions, the group had to scale back this activity.
“We determined … at the last minute, why don’t we do it here (at Murray GM)?” Ruston said, noting the business’ ownership was kind enough to let the Shrine Club use its lot for the event.
Ruston thanked the 87-strong members of the club for selling tickets and other volunteers who supported the raffle. He also thanked Terry Beattie from LB Beattie, who did some work on the body of the car after it was brought up from Arizona.
Next year the club plans to expand its fundraiser to something bigger; while offering cars during a raffle is fun, Ruston wanted to offer a different activity for the club and community. However, he refused to divulge any details about what the new fundraiser could be, as he wanted to keep everything a secret.
