Lola Bridges of Etobicoke, Ont., won $2,784,817 in the Thunder Bay 50/50’s August Grand Prize draw after purchasing a $50 ticket. According to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, it was the largest grand prize ever awarded outside the last three December holiday draws, surpassing July’s $2,772,840 prize. It’s the second month in a row the draw has topped $2.7 million.
The foundation says Bridges was on a break from work with her partner, Ram, when its president, Glenn Craig, called with the news. In a release announcing the win, Bridges said, “There are no words to describe how incredibly grateful I am right now”. Asked what she planned to do with the money, she pointed to real estate: “There could be a house in my future. That’s a good investment for my money”, she said.
For readers in Northwestern Ontario, the appeal of the Thunder Bay 50/50 is not just the jackpot. The grand prize represents 50 per cent of ticket sales, while net proceeds support priority equipment needs at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and clinical centres across the region.
That funding has also reached Fort Frances. Foundation grants have previously supported cancer-care equipment in the community, while 50/50 proceeds have helped fund major equipment at the Thunder Bay hospital, including a new cardiac catheterization lab and MRI technology. The foundation says its lifetime contributions to the hospital now exceed $81 million, while the 50/50 itself has awarded more than $109 million in prizes to players across Ontario.
August’s draw also carried a charitable add-on: a $2 donation supporting the Ontario SPCA and the Humane Society Northwest Animal Centre. The foundation says it will announce the total raised next week.
The Thunder Bay 50/50 holds a Grand Prize draw on the last Friday of every month, and September’s is already open, with $145,000 in total Early Bird prizes on offer. A $25,000 Early Bird prize will be drawn Saturday, Sept. 5, and ten $1,000 Early Bird prizes will also be drawn on Labour Day, Sept. 7.
New for September is Two Buck Chuck, a $2 raffle that can be bought alongside a 50/50 ticket or on its own, with no minimum purchase. Five winners will be drawn the same morning as the Grand Prize, each taking home 10 per cent of total Two Buck Chuck ticket sales. Half of the raffle’s proceeds go to those winners; the rest supports patient care in Northwestern Ontario.
Tickets for the Grand Prize draw must be bought by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, ahead of the draw the next morning. Buyers must be in Ontario and at least 18 years old. More information, and answers to questions about the draw, are available at tbay5050draw.ca.
