The Bluewater Health Foundation kicked off its 28th annual Dream Home Lottery Tuesday morning.
This year's home, located at 1955 Orchard Avenue in Bright’s Grove, is valued at $1,159,043. The initiative also features its largest prize board to date at over $1.3 million dollars.
Foundation Executive Director Kathy Alexander said there are 200,000 tickets up for grabs starting at two for $50.
"We don't anticipate selling all of those this year -- if we do, wonderful, so please buy them. But our goal this year is to sell over 100,000 tickets and then couple that with the proceeds of the 50/50 which is a guaranteed pot this year of $150,000. Last year's winner took home just under $250,000."
The 2021 campaign sold around 92,000 tickets and raised about $400,000. Alexander said the foundation is hoping to raise at least half-a-million this time around.
"The half [raised] from the Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital Foundation is being allocated to their redevelopment of the emergency department in Petrolia, and the funds from the Sarnia side of things are allocated towards our helipad project as well as some continued priorities that we're planning for that we haven't announced with the public yet."
Alexander said there are over 2,800 prizes being allocated this year with the first early-bird draw set for October.
"Back to some travel vouchers which we haven't done for the last couple of years, cash -- people love to win cash, and over the holiday season we have 12 days of giveaways featuring mostly local businesses and partners and then some provincial opportunities for Travel Ontario and gas cards and things like that."
Tours of the home began at noon Tuesday and in person open houses are set to commence September 10 at 1 p.m.
"We had Dream Home lotteries throughout the course of the pandemic. Two years ago, no one got to see inside the Dream Home in person. But we're just thrilled to be back in person and showcase the incredible home that we have built for us this year, welcome people to the beautiful community of Bright's Grove and just be able to raise the profile of the importance of Dream Home Lottery."
Alexander said the foundation was fortunate to have moved to an online ticket platform the year before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
"And given all of the restrictions and guidelines that all charities were faced with, online really was the only way to continue to operate and if we hadn't moved to that platform, we wouldn't have had a Dream Home Lottery for the last two years and that would have been about $600,000 in lost revenue for Bluewater Health Foundation."
Alexander said over the last 28 years, they've built homes in Bright's Grove, Sarnia, Camlachie, Petrolia, Corunna and all around Sarnia-Lambton.
"We want to recognize all of the communities that have a part to play across our beautiful county and recognizing more importantly that Bluewater Health is Lambton County's community hospital servicing patients and families from all across the county."
The final deadline to purchase tickets is February 1. The winner of the home will be announced just after Valentine's Day.
To date, the lottery has raised more than $8.5 million for the purchase of innovative medical equipment for patients and families in Lambton County and beyond.
For more information click here.
