91原创鈥檚 Katy Mayrs needed a minute to get her head around the figure 73,615.
That鈥檚 the number of dollars she won in the first Rotary Clubs of 91原创 Mega Draw. The winner was chosen at a livestreamed draw Thursday, Dec. 3 at the Rotary Interpretive Centre in the Derek Doubleday Arboretum.
Rotarian Jeff Morfitt called her on speakerphone to break the news.
Oh,鈥� she said with a pause. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing I could possibly say that can be speaker-phoned,鈥� she joked.
The new started to settle in.
鈥淚鈥檓 a little bit shocked. I鈥檓 overwhelmed,鈥� she said.
The winner praised the clubs for the work they do.
鈥淪uch an amazing cause. You guys are so amazing,鈥� she said.
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The call could not have come at a better time. The manager at Duolynx Printers has like so many faced financial hardship due to COVID-19, including reduced wages and debt accumulation.
鈥淢y vehicle just died two weeks ago,鈥� she added.
So she had to unexpectedly go out and get a new vehicle to be able to get to work.
Mayrs told the 91原创 Advance Times that the amount she鈥檚 won is lifechanging. It relieves some of the burden and lightens her outlook. She said she鈥檚 never dared to dream about what to do what this kind of money.
Mayrs said she purchased one ticket for the draw because she wanted to support Rotary but money was tight.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so awesome what they do,鈥� she said.
The clubs (Sunrise, 91原创 City, 91原创 Central and Aldergrove) hosted an online drawing of the winner in their fundraiser that will see the proceeds, $50,000, go to local groups such as the Aldergrove Fair Society, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of 91原创, the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope, Ishtar Transition Housing Society, the 91原创 Food Bank, the 91原创 Hospice Society, 91原创 Meals on Wheels, the 91原创 Memorial Hospital Foundation, Starfish backpacks program, Volunteer 91原创, and Community Justice Initiatives.
鈥�100 per cent of our funds raised by Rotary Clubs go to our causes,鈥� noted draw emcee and Rotarian Brian Lott.
Service clubs can鈥檛 fundraise in the ways they have in the past, but the local Rotary clubs remain committed to supporting local organizations and causes which are hurting because of the global pandemic.
鈥淎ll of these organizations just have a much, much bigger draw on their money,鈥� said Jeff Morfitt, Mega Draw committee chair.
Their costs have increased, they face increased demand for service, and they can鈥檛 fundraise as they have in the past.
鈥淭heir ability to make money in these organizations has been diminished,鈥� he added. 鈥淎ll the live events and galas and that kind of thing that go on just haven鈥檛 been able to happen.鈥�
The Rotary Mega Draw was a replacement for the 50/50 the clubs had held at Ribfest last summer. It had raised about $30,000 for the club鈥檚 causes.
Other Rotary clubs have had 50/50 draws before and after COVID-19 and many didn鈥檛 make $10,000 in sales so the four local clubs are thrilled at the result of this first 91原创 draw.
The clubs are 鈥渏ust really happy with the support we received,鈥� Morfitt said. 鈥淭hat really makes me happy when I see the whole community get involved.鈥�
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After expenses, the proceeds amount to$50,000 of the $73,615 or 50 per cent of sales. The rest cover the cost of the campaign.
鈥淲e hope to hold one [in 2021], probably be May to August,鈥� he said.
The club had to navigate new rules for the draw, including having to use a random number generator to choose the winner. The generator had to be approved by the provincial gaming branch.
The rules also said that tickets had to be purchased within B.C. but the buyers could live outside of the province so there were tickets that were picked up by people while here but who live in other parts of the province and in other provinces.
The vast majority of tickets went to local supporters. Probably 70 or 80 per cent of the sales were within the 91原创 area, Morfitt added.
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