The proposed new splash park at Parksville’s Community got a boost of more than $9,000 Wednesday morning, Sept. 6, 2017.
Sue Hay of Fort Nelson made out pretty well, too.
Hay was the winning entry in the Rotary Club of Parksville AM 50/50 raffle draw, held at the Beach Club Resort in Parksville, earning a prize of $9,057.50.
“Oh my goodness,” Hay said when called by Rotary AM president Helen Dyck immediately after her ticket was drawn by Parksville Mayor Marc Lefebvre. “I was there visiting my mom.”
The Rotary’s splash park fundraiser received the same amount from the draw, which will go toward the $100,000 goal the Rotary and Parksville Lions Club have committed to raise jointly.
Related: Rotary, Lions make splash for new water park
“The prize total for the draw today was the largest total we’ve had in history,” Dyck. “We’ve been doing this for three years; it’s significant. We didn’t quite make the $10,000 for the ticket sales, but we did have some donations, and those donations brought us over the $10,000 (goal).”
The draw was attended by 14 combined Rotary and Lions members, as well as Lefebvre and Deb Tardiff, the City of Parksville’s communications director.
After calling Hay and putting her phone on speaker, Dyck informed Hay that her winning prize was $9,057.50.
“One thousand… ?” Hay responded before Dyck cut her off.
“No, nine thousand,” Dyck said, as the crowd in the resort lobby laughed.
“Wow,” said Hay. “Thank you.”
Had the winner been a local resident, Dyck said, the Rotary Club had planned to invite them to next week’s breakfast for a cheque presentation and free meal.
“Well, now she’s got enough to fly here for the breakfast and back again,” Lefebvre quipped.
The money from the 50/50 draw pushes the Rotary and Lions club share of the fundraising to well over $60,000 of its $100,000 goal. Construction on the $300,000 splash park is scheduled for construction in the coming months, with an opening planned for spring of 2018.