Mega Drawing winner donates $2K back to OCH Foundation
Press Release, Orleans Community Health Foundation
Provided photo: Peter Bartula accepts a $10,000 check as the Mega Drawing winner and gave $2,000 back to Gloria Brent, a board member on the OCH Foundation.
MEDINA – When hosting a fundraising event, you want it to be fun for the participants. Of course, most people enter charitable raffles as a way to not only give to an organization, but they always hope to win something back for themselves. It makes giving a win/win.
The organization raises funds for their cause and you get a chance to win a prize. This year at the Orleans Community Health Foundations Mega Drawing, it was just that when their grand prize winner gave back a portion of their winnings!
Peter Bartula of Albion was this year’s grand prize winner of $10,000 and in return he donated back $2,000.
“Receiving such a large check that I never expected to win was a total surprise,” Bartula said. “I bought the raffle ticket as a donation to the hospital with no expectation that I would win. So when I did win, I felt that the right thing to do would be to give a percentage of it back.”
OCH Foundation board member Gloria Brent sold Peter the winning ticket after meeting just this year through the Medina Rotary Club.
“I was able to watch the drawing live on Facebook and was overjoyed to find that Peter had won the grand prize,” Brent said. “He is always finding ways to give back to our community and when I handed him the winning check, he returned a significant amount back to the Foundation.”
The Orleans Community Health Foundation hosted its annual Mega Drawing Cash Raffle on Sept. 13. Besides the $10,000 grand prize there were nine other cash prizes. It was the third year in a row they have held the event virtually.
The low overhead of the event helps them to maximize the proceeds and put them directly back into their annual campaign. This year another winner, Steve Hicks, also donated back a portion of his winnings.
“Each year we host this event, winners give back,” said Heather Smith, interim executive director. “This is the most that has been donated back since our first year running the event in 2013, when the winners donated back a total of $5,000.”
This year, the OCH Foundation’s campaign is focused on raising funds for brand new Intravenous (IV) Infusion Pumps. The goal is to raise $150,000 which will replace all 60 pumps currently in use throughout Orleans Community Health.
Most of the pumps are used at their two dialysis centers (Medina and Batavia) and in various departments at Medina Memorial Hospital.
“With the proceeds from the Mega Drawing, we have reached nearly $83,000 towards the campaign so far,” Smith said. “We have one fundraiser left and a few grants that we are waiting on. However, we will need to the support of the community to help us complete this campaign.”
The foundation’s next fundraising event is the Treasure Island Benefit Auction on Nov. 5. Tickets are available through the Foundation office or online at www.supportoch.org/events. If you are interested in more information on the IV Pump Replacement Campaign and how you can support it, please contact the OCH Foundation office at (585) 798-8426.
