As the first early-bird prize winner in the Prince George Hospice Dream Home Lottery, Lillian Maximitch had to give her writing hand a sustained workout.
The Prince George woman won 50 tickets in the PG Hospice 50-50 draw and filled out the blanks of each one herself.
That means Maximitch has at least 50 chances to cash in a grand prize that could grow to $150,000 by the time the winning ticket is drawn on Aug. 31.
But right now the take-home jackpot is still 40 tickets shy of $90,000 and Sandra Klimm is hoping the people will get on the bandwagon and snap up those remaining tickets.
“We are a little bit behind at this point but all the non-profits in the community are struggling right now,” said Klimm, fund developer/dream home coordinator for the Prince George Palliative Care Society.
Proceeds from the first 50-50 draw will support the hospice’s community programs. The society provides grief support, caregiver support, pregnancy loss support and COVID long-hauler support among other counselling initiatives.
The second 50-50 draw on Dec. 11 will support a new home care palliative program which is bringing hospice staff to the homes of people in the end stage of life. Tickets cost $25.
The hospice has sold 5,028 of the 13,999 tickets printed for the dream home draw at $125 each. Including furnishings provided by Ashley Furniture and six appliances from City Furniture, the home is worth $824,500.
Located in University Heights subdivision at 3445 Munro Way, the 2,490 square-foot custom home is built by Toor Enterprises and features five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a basement with a separate entrance. You can see the home right here.
“When you come to the dream home you pretty much overlook Tabor Mountain and the house itself backs into a forest so you have so much privacy and you don’t hear traffic,” said Klimm. “The backyard is huge and there’s a wonderful huge deck on the top and on the bottom.”
All proceeds from the 13th annual dream home draw pay for the beds and support clients receive at the hospice facility at 150 Ferry Ave.
Leading up to the grand prize draw on December 1, there will be three more early-bird draws, September 28, October 26, and November 23.
The home is open for viewing seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased at the hospice office, 1506 Ferry Ave., during weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Canadian Tire from Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., online at hospicedreamhome.ca and by phone at 1-866-419-7604.
