Carol and Harold Juhl were getting nervous as the night went on. Their ticket
had been drawn earlier for a non-cash prize, but $20 bought them a second
chance at the $3,000 grand prize. Lucky for them, it paid off.
The
Juhls were the grand prize winners in the Laingsburg Educational Advancement Foundation's
First-Annual Reverse Raffle fundraiser, held February 20 at Eagle Eye. Their
excitement was contagious as people gave them a standing ovation. Both said
they couldn't believe their luck.
"I
still can't believe we won," exclaimed Carol Juhl, as she wiped tears from her
eyes. "We've had so much fun."
Her
husband, Harold, agreed.
"We'll
definitely be back next year," he said.
Coming
in second was Aimee Jo Ragsdale, who won $500.
LEAF netted just more than $6,000 on the event,
which included a buffet dinner, dessert, two drink tickets and a tax deduction
for ticketholders. Several other winners -- including Ragsdale -- took home a
total of $1,000 in cash or more than $3,720 worth of non-cash prizes such as
golf packages, Shiawassee YMCA membership packages, a one-week trip to Cancun,
a golf putter, gift certificates to local businesses, free Granger trash
pick-up service and a Browning Varmint rifle. There were also side games,
including 50/50 drawings, second-chance raffles, a raffle for the last two
numbers entered in the drawing -- including the one that won the Juhls the grand
prize -- and a silent auction whose big prize was two tickets to the MSU vs.
Ohio State basketball game the following day.
"We
are amazed at our success, especially for a first-year event," explained Doug
Perry, LEAF Board member and reverse raffle chair. "Our survey forms were
overwhelmingly positive. Many people have already signed up to buy tickets for
next year's event when they're ready.
"The
committee worked very hard to make sure things went off smoothly, and they
succeeded. But more importantly, our ultimate goal of raising money for grants
for our teachers and students was met. At the end of the day, that's what it's
all about."
Emceeing
the event were LEAF President Carrie Rathbun Hawks and Laingsburg Community
Schools' Superintendent Mike Foster, both of whom also served on the committee.
Other members were Dane Nickols, Krys Rourke, Mary Jane Walters, Clint Hawks
and April Rowley. Several other LEAF board and community members also helped
sell tickets.
"We
especially want to thank Eagle Eye's owners and managers who helped us
tremendously by donating some of their fees and assigning Laingsburg-area staff
to work the event, giving it more of a local feel," said Perry. "Their entire
crew was a joy and so helpful. We couldn't have had as much success without
them."
In
a reverse raffle, a limited number of tickets are sold. Those tickets are put
into a drawing and pulled out randomly and the last ticket drawn is the winner
of the grand prize. Cash and non-cash prizes are awarded throughout the evening
based upon the "place" of the ticket (third and tenth tickets drawn,
for example).
LEAF will use the net proceeds of the raffle to
continue to support innovative educational opportunities for Laingsburg
students. Raffle license number is R04350. Read the complete raffle rules at www.leaf4kids.com.
LEAF is a Michigan
nonprofit corporation and a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that provides
grants to teachers and students within the Laingsburg Community Schools. Since
its inception in 1992, LEAF has given out more than $150,000 in grants. LEAF
just recently approved more than $11,000 in grants to Laingsburg Community
School personnel for this
school year.