Successful reverse raffle raises $23,000 for St. Stephen – St. Edward School

It was a win-win for charity.

On Saturday evening, Nov. 2, approximately 200 guests celebrated at the fourth annual reverse raffle to benefit St. Stephen – St. Edward School.

A reverse raffle is one in which you do not want your number to be called because the numbers called are for the ticket holders to be eliminated from the raffle.

There were just 250 tickets sold for $100 each and that meant the odds of winning many cash prizes including a grand prize of $8,000 were favorable.

The purchase also included admission for two to an evening of food and drinks in the school gymnasium along with live musical entertainment performed by singer and composer Kyle Hancharick.

And the rules also permitted sharing the cost of the ticket and the winnings from other cash prizes as well as the grand prize.

The final tally is not in at this time but in addition to the reverse auction ticket sales of $25,000, an estimated $8,500 was also raised from a silent auction and other raffles resulting in net proceeds, after paying out prize money and other expenses, of approximately $23,000.

The proceeds will be used for general school operating expenses.

The $8,000 grand prize winning ticket was purchased by Cheryl McShane and Cathy Leahy.

Finalists whose tickets had not been called just before the winning and last ticket were Karen DeVora in second place and Tim Cooper in third.

- Roger Gavan