Hospital 50/50 jackpot 'life-changing' for September winner
$5,000 Welcome Bonus
Sault resident Wendy Dewar has won the Sault Area Hospital Foundation (SAHF) 50/50 September $162,460 jackpot.
A news release issued by the SAHF states that Dewar will use some of the winnings to help family and set some aside for retirement.
“My father’s mobility has reduced and the pandemic has been pretty hard on our family, as it has to so many other families,” she said in the release. “I still can’t even put together words for how much this is going to help my parents and I. This is life-changing for not only me, but them as well.”
Full text of the SAHF release follows:
On Sept. 30 at 11 a.m., Wendy Dewar of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. won the $162,460 jackpot in the Sault Area Hospital Foundation’s (SAHF) September electronic and online 50/50 draw. Her lucky number (W-4478149) was drawn electronically and she was contacted immediately.
This was Wendy’s first time purchasing tickets for the SAHF 50/50. One of her coworkers mentioned the draw to her and although she is not a frequent ticket buyer, something just ‘felt right’.
“My family has used the services at our hospital recently, and I know we’ll need them in the future, so I thought it was a nice way to help purchase the very expensive medical equipment they need,” said Wendy. This win came at a particularly difficult time for her family.
“My father’s mobility has reduced and the pandemic has been pretty hard on our family, as it has to so many other families. I still can’t even put together words for how much this is going to help my parents and I. This is life-changing for not only me, but them as well.”
Wendy has indicated she will be using some of her winnings to help her parents, and ensure her father can have the accessibility supports he needs in his own home. Like many in our community, she is supporting her parents as they navigate health issues and maintain independent living. She also plans to treat herself to a day at the salon, and put the rest aside for retirement and savings.
“I just want to thank those that stood by me and my family during these difficult times. I want those people to know their support means the world to me. It’s been a tough couple of years for everyone and I hope that everyone is standing by their loved ones,” Wendy added.
Also in September, SAHF awarded David Lesage of Garden River, Ont. $10,000 in the largest early bird draw in the history SAHF 50/50. His lucky number was W-2878443. The $10,000 early bird continues in October as a bonus for all purchasers who secure their tickets before Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.
Although the SAHF 50/50 has been running for nearly two years now, new people find out about the draws each month.
“It’s pretty uncommon to have a first time purchaser win our grand prize, but that’s the nature of the draw. Everyone has a chance to win. With an exciting $10,000 early bird draw, this prize grew higher than it had been over the summer – and we’re so happy to see new people are joining us and past purchasers coming back to this exciting monthly draw,” said Teresa Martone, executive director, Sault Area Hospital Foundation. “We can’t emphasize this enough: this draw is life-changing. Every month for the past year-and-a-half, we’ve been giving a 6-figure prize to a lucky winner, and their life is undoubtedly changed. Then, we are purchasing medical equipment that provides life-changing impact to local patients as they get care close to home at Sault Area Hospital. It’s a privilege to work with our community to make this all possible.”
Sault Area Hospital Foundation’s goal to raise upwards of $5 million annually. It is projected that over $10 million in medical equipment will be introduced at Sault Area Hospital this year to replace and upgrade the equipment purchased when the hospital opened its doors over 10 years ago. For more information visit here.
Tickets for SAHF 50/50’s October draw are on sale now. Over $3.9 million in prizes have been awarded to date.
On behalf of the entire community, thank you to all who continue to support. When our hospital purchases equipment like this, we all win.
