The Fort William Rotary Club gave away $345,000 in bricks and mortar this Canada Day, but are having trouble tracking down the winner.
Ainsley Bharath was the lucky winner of the 24th annual Rotary House Lottery this Thursday, but the superintendent of her apartment building informed Dougall Media he moved to British Columbia two weeks ago to be closer to family.
The Rotary Club will continue to track down the winner, but in the meantime they’ll be busy dispersing $200,000 to local charities.
"This year was a phenomenal year," said chairman Bob Hookham. "By the first week in June, we had all 7,000 tickets sold."
After a few years of struggling, it was a relief to be sold out so early this year, Hookham said, noting the fact they were the only house lottery in the city this summer made it a bit easier this year.
"Thunder Bay may not be big enough to support two house lotteries at $100 a ticket based on the economy we just went through," he said. "However, there’s a lot of need in Thunder Bay. People believe in the city. They believe in the Rotary Club and they believe in the product we’re putting forth."
The $345,000 and 1,729 square foot home on Hutton Park Drive is located in the expanding Sherwood Estates area.
"It’s said you can’t buy happiness; well that lady just bought happiness for $100," said Hookham. "She’s got a house, no mortgage, no tax implications on it. She can sell it, live in a beautiful home and basically put herself on Easy Street for a good long time."
