Raffle Tickets Help This Small Community by Heather Bohannon
Raffle Tickets Help This Small Community by Heather Bohannon
Raffle ticket sales add a continued advantage to fund raising opportunities in a multitude of ways. My family has owned a cabin in northern Arizona half of a century. This property was built by my grandfather and uncle in the early 50’s and will continue to be in our family for many more years to come. The house is in the Coconino Forest surrounded by trees and a small community of families and is a small A-frame with classic features that embrace its rustic feel. Coconino Forest has a constant threat of wild fires as the summer heat and lack of rain dries out our forest.
Our community has serviced generations of families as these properties have been passed down from generation to generation. Unfortunately due to it being a small community in the forest we do not have access to a fire department. The closest we have is the fire service which covers this northern quarter of our state. Our community has helped establish a volunteer fire fighting group which helps these homes and cabins, typically made of log, stay safe from wild fires. They help trim trees close to homes, clean up dead pine needles in addition to actual fire services with water from the well. The theory is if these people can help put out small fires they can not only save a home but also stop it from being a much larger issues like a forest fire.
Due to our location and lack of services our fire department is based solely on volunteers and donations. My father is part of the electrical department which donated a water truck and fire truck but the remaining of the money is based on community donations and fund raisers. Our family, along with others in the community have a large Labor Day celebration including a rummage sale, barbeque and most importantly a raffle.
The 50/50 raffle is our biggest form of funding for this fire department. Two months prior to the event we notify anyone that raffle tickets are now on sale and they can continue to purchase them from that point to the last hour of the event. Typically 25% of the money is in presales but as people arrive they see the prize money rise and so do the sales of tickets. The larger the pot the larger the reward and as Americans we are typically money driven and a gamble-happy society. Half of the pot is set aside for our fire department and half is set for one lucky winner. After all it does not hurt that many have some beers and get in the spirit, and the ticket sellers often have mini competition amongst each other to see who can sell more.
Raffle tickets have helped our small community and many others and will continue to do so for years. Not to mention the fun that comes along with this. Simple raffle ideas such as this have help people for decades raise money for schools, charities, families, etc. Who would of those a simple ticket would help so many people out in a variety of ways.
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Contributed by Heather Bohannon
September 4, 2015