Rotary Club House Lottery set for 29th year

Robert Hookham says buying a ticket for the 29th annual Rotary House Lottery is not about winning a new home.

Certainly that’s the grand prize – a $426,294, 1,700 square-foot Ruby Crescent luxury home – but it’s about much more than that, Hookham said.

“It’s about support back to the community,” he said on Tuesday, officially launching the annual fundraising campaign at the three-bedroom home that features granite countertops in the kitchen, hardwood floors throughout and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems.

“It’s about bringing the whole community together.”

Of course everyone who buys a ticket wants to win, he added.

“But I think they realize that $100 is an investment in their community.”

Since its creation, the Rotary Club lottery has raised nearly $4 million for local charities, including disaster flood relief, the Boys and Girls Club, Toys for Tots and the two most recent recipients, the George Jeffrey Children’s Foundation and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation’s Exceptional Cancer Care campaign.

The former was handed a $25,000 cheque on Tuesday, while the hospital campaign was given $60,000, part of the Rotary Club’s $500,000 promise to help improve cancer care in Thunder Bay.

Foundation CEO Glenn Craig said without organizations like the Rotary Club, charities like his wouldn’t stand a chance.

“It’s those first steps that are so important to get you on the right path,” Craig said. “The Fort William Rotary Club was there from the beginning.”

Craig said the community relies on the services made possible by donations like this.

“We know that these services, unfortunately, our friends and family will need them at some point and we want our friends and family to have the best,” he said.

Tickets, which can be purchased for either $100 apiece or three for $250, are available at the home itself, which will host open houses on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. They’re also available at a number of locations around town, including the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, George’s Market, Performance Kia, Halfway Motors and all RBC branches in Thunder Bay.

They can also be purchased at J.B. Evans, the Finnish Bookstore and the Airlane Hotel and Conference Centre, as well as the OLG Casino, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, Wanson Lumber and Marv Chorney Jewellers.