Time is running out on the Riverside Foundation for Health Care’s Online 50-50 draw, with the final ticket being pulled on Monday, September 7 at 5:00 p.m. for a jackpot that’s currently sitting at just over $12,000 with plenty of room yet to grow.
Foundation director Allison Cox noted that ticket sales had slowed down a bit after the early bird draw was made at the beginning of August, but have recently begun to pick up speed.
“We hit a little lull right after the early bird draw and then things started picking up again once we hit that $10,000 mark,” Cox said.
“Things have slowly but steadily been climbing.”
At the time she spoke with the Times, the pot was still sitting below $12,000 but at the time of writing has broken that barrier and can still go up until the final draw is made. Cox said that while she’s thankful for the support they’ve received so far, the public can still pull together to make a big statement.
“I know that if you were watching the Lake of the Woods District Hospital Foundation, they did a similar 50-50 and their hit $47,000 in one month,” she explained.
“So I’m putting a challenge out there to the Rainy River District that surely we can do a little bit better than where we’re at right now and kind of stick it to Kenora a bit.”
Being a 50-50 draw, the same amount goes to the winner as to the Foundation, and Cox said that the funds raised are extra important in such an abnormally lean year.
“Due to all the COVID restrictions, we’ve had to cancel pretty much every normal event that we normally do throughout the year,” she explained.
“So our spring luncheon, our Canada Day cash lottery, our fall gala, and that equates up to a pretty sizeable amount of funds that aren’t coming in, anywhere between $70,000 to $100,000. This is a really easy way for people to continue to support the foundation while still abiding by all the social distancing regulations.”
The money also directly benefits the public as well, since most of us have used or will use some of the services provided by Riverside Health Care facilities.
This year the fundraising is working towards the purchase of a pair of bladder scanners that Cox explained will be a benefit for patients and staff who need to make use of them.
“These scanners are really helpful in that patients don’t need to leave the room,” she said.
“The scanners are brought directly to them and the nurses are able to get all the proper readings that they need and do some correct diagnoses so they know further treatment options.”
The tickets will continue to be available online at www.riversidefoundation.ca/5050 but there will also be an opportunity to learn more about the draw at this Thursday’s market at the Rainy Lake Square, as well as one in-person chance to buy tickets.
“Likely what I’m going to be doing on Friday is, and I’ll confirm this over our Facebook page, but I’ll have a couple of hours where I’m going to set up just right outside of the hospital on the grounds,” Cox said.
“I’ll have my little trusty handheld device there where people can purchase in person if they don’t feel comfortable doing it online. I’ll confirm times for that on our Facebook page.”
With less than a week to go, Cox said she’s grateful for the support they’ve received and encouraged those who haven’t yet purchased tickets to get in on the chance to win big.
“A huge thanks to people who have already purchased tickets and just because you’ve already purchased doesn’t mean you can’t purchase more,” she said.