Editor:
Re: WinFall lottery at ‘dire’ risk of losing money, Oct. 13.
The WinFall Lottery has raised $25 million for Peace Arch Hospital over its 15-year history.
Consistently, the WinFall Lottery has made a profit. The funds have been used to purchase vital medical equipment. Many people in our community have been – and are – benefiting from this lottery.
This year, however, for the first time its history, the lottery is at risk of not breaking even. With approximately one-third of the tickets sold – as of Oct. 13 – and with ticket sales closing this Wednesday, we are working hard to try to bring the lottery a successful close.
I am appealing to everyone in our community who has the means to purchase WinFall Lottery tickets. If you purchase tickets and are the lucky grand-prize winner, you will win a beautiful home in South Surrey’s Elgin Park, a luxury car and $50,000 – or $1.7 million tax-free cash. In all, there are more than 1,700 prizes to be won.
When you purchase tickets, you are also investing in something – I believe – you value: excellence in community health care. We all have a vested interest in keeping our community healthy, strong and vibrant.
We re-entered the lottery market this year after a one-year break, with research indicating a strong consumer interest in such a lottery. What happened? It could be a number of things: more consumer choice, bigger and better prize packages may be contributing factors.
Some people have asked me why the Peace Arch Hospital and Community Health Foundation takes the kind of financial risk inherent in a major home lottery. For 15 years, WinFall has provided a reliable source of revenue. The good that flows from it to the community in the form of life-saving, life-enhancing medical equipment has clearly been our motivating factor.
I am asking for your help. If you have the means, will you buy a WinFall Lottery ticket? If you don’t have the means, you can help us by spreading the word to your family and friends on Facebook and Twitter.
I am an optimist at heart and believe that together we can bring this lottery to a successful close.
Tickets are available online at www.WinFallLottery.ca, or by calling 604-436-5690, 1-855-205-5690 toll free.
Jane Manning, PAHCHF board chair