91原创

Lilianne Fuller couldn鈥檛 be at the 91原创 Rotary 50/50 Mega Draw in person but she told her fellow Rotarians to call her when they had drawn the winning ticket.

鈥淚 had let them know, I鈥檓 really sorry, I can鈥檛 be there on the draw [day] but let me know who the winner is and I鈥檒l come take a picture.鈥�

The four Rotary clubs working together on the second fundraising 50/50 draw picked the winner at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 18.

鈥淲hen the phone rang about five after 12, I never gave it a thought,鈥� said Fuller.

She asked who the winner was so she could start her work as the Rotary Club of 91原创 Central鈥檚 public relations chair, and reach out to them for comment and photos for a press release.

鈥淚 was going to go take a picture,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚鈥檝e been saying to people I didn鈥檛 think it was going to be a selfie.鈥�

Jennifer Roy, who chaired the lottery committee, said the name drawn was Fuller. Lilianne was the winner.

Lilianne was stunned and handed the phone to her husband.

鈥淗e said this is a joke right?鈥� Lilianne said.

The clubs has sold enough tickets that the prize amount was $125,000.

鈥淲e were absolutely amazed and very happy,鈥� Lilianne said.

She and her husband, Tony, had, like last year for the first draw, purchased the eight tickets for $100 package to support the cause.

鈥淣ormally we don鈥檛 buy lottery tickets or lotto,鈥� she commented. 鈥淏ut this is Rotary, and so we found this would be a way to support our community and support Rotary.鈥�

The couple plans to give a big chunk of the money to Rotary for its community works. They have also earmarked some to help their daughter.

鈥淪he鈥檚 a single mom so we鈥檇 like to see her into a newer vehicle,鈥� Lilianne said.

Tony has said he wants to make a donation to the Nicomekl Elementary lunch program Lilianne helps out at, and there鈥檚 other local causes they would like to support.

When it鈥檚 safer, the Fullers would like to get back to a favourite pastime 鈥� travelling.

The other half of the mega draw stays with the four Rotary clubs of 91原创, divided up and used for their community service.

Because of the pandemic, all major fundraising activities done by the 91原创 Rotary clubs had to be put on hold. The proceeds from the draw are used to honour Rotary鈥檚 various commitments. The mega 50/50 draw was sponsored by the Aldergrove Credit Union, G & F Financial, Envision Financial, and Prospera.

Pauline Buck, past president of the Aldergrove club, explained that each club decides which groups or causes to support. Proceeds from this year鈥檚 draw will help the 91原创 Memorial Hospital Foundation, the 91原创 Hospice Society, the Starfish Backpack program, 91原创 Meals on Wheels, 91原创鈥檚 food banks, and the Gateway of Hope.

鈥淎 lot of our beneficiary organizations support us with the lottery,鈥� helping to publicize the fundraiser, she said.

Last year the club got a lottery licence for $200,000, unsure of how the new venture would turn out, explained Buck.

鈥淭his year we thought, well, this is the second time around鈥� so they went for a licence that allowed them to sell tickets until the jackpot reached $250,000, she added.

Everything is controlled by the BC Lottery Corp. including who can buy tickets. Buck explained that the board of the Rotary Club of 91原创 Sunrise, which applied for the licence, could not buy tickets. As well there were tight restrictions on the people on the lottery committee who inputted the names into the BCLC computer system.

General members of the Rotary clubs are allowed to buy tickets, Buck explained.

With two successful draws under their belts, the four clubs are looking to the future.

鈥淲e鈥檙e planning on doing it again next year and what we鈥檙e planning for next year鈥� is we鈥檙e going to do our Ribfest event again,鈥� Buck explained.

The mega 50/50 draw gets underway next May and the selection of the winner is slated to take place on the final day of Ribfest which would take place in August.

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