THUNDER BAY – It’s an outdoor kind of city and a travel trailer is on a lot of people’s wish list.
For just $10, one lucky ticket-buyer dream is going to come true in August.
Once again St. John Ambulance is holding its Spring into Summer draw, the top prize a 29-foot Grey Wolf Travel Trailer built for the camper in everyone.
The second prize is a Honda generator from J&J Sports with a six-year warranty, while the third-place prize is a Wilderness Systems Radar 115 kayak, which can be moved by power, pedaling or paddling.
There are also early-bird prizes, including a two-night stay at a KOA campground cabin, complete with firewood and access to mini golf and the driving range. Someone is also going to win a four-night stay at the Kashabowie River Resort, with boat and motor included during the trip.
There are a variety of other packages up for grabs too.
Diana Sustawenko, the executive director of St. John Ambulance for Northwestern Ontario, says the draw is the single-biggest fundraiser for the organization each year, and is especially important in 2021, after a year of living in a COVID-19 reality.
Gathering restrictions have reduced class sizes and a lack of events in Thunder Bay and elsewhere in the region mean a drastic drop in the need for the services provided by the organization.
“This Spring into Summer campaign is very important to St. John Ambulance. It’s our largest fundraiser of the year, and especially during COVID. Since last March, like many other businesses, locally and globally, we’ve been in financial restraints,” Sustawenko said.
“It’s been quite difficult. Our training numbers have gone down from 54 students a day to only 16. Our trailer draw last year was affected by COVID. We weren’t allowed to have people in the trailer and we were closed for four months, so we were only able to take phone orders.”
For now, tickets are only available in person at the St. John Ambulance offices on Fort William Road, but Sustawenko said she’s hopeful in coming weeks, if cases come down, they’ll be able to offer them for sale at a variety of locations around town.
She added she’s also got her fingers crossed that restrictions will eventually be lifted enough to allow the public a chance to stop by and see the trailer, which is currently housed at Recreation World RV on Dawson Road.
“With the way things have been the past year, St. John Ambulance really does need the support of the community to keep our service programs going for 2021 and on,” Sustawenko said.
The prizes are a perfect fit for Northwestern Ontario, she added.
“In Northwestern Ontario, a lot of people love camping anyway. It’s a great opportunity for those who don’t have a trailer or don’t have the means of getting out there, to actually have something to go for a weekend, or go for a month, or actually park at a resort,” she said. “It gives them something to do throughout the summer and something maybe they can’t afford on their own. The $10 ticket really allows for all community members to be able to purchase and be able to win that trailer.”
For more information, phone 345-1712.
