A Toronto couple who have a cottage in Kawartha Lakes and are supporters of the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation in Lindsay have won the $646,749 grand prize in the Split the Pot Lottery.
Bill B. purchased a grand prize winning ticket in the lottery, a joint venture of 51 hospital foundations across Ontario based on a traditional 50/50 lottery. Half of ticket sales go towards the lottery jackpot and the other half support participating hospitals.
Participants can choose to direct the net proceeds from their ticket purchase to their local hospital foundation, or they can choose to support all 51 participating hospital foundations and have the net proceeds from their purchase divided equally among them.
When Bill B. bought his lottery tickets, he chose to support the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation because he and his wife Debbie have a cottage in Kawartha Lakes.
“I have been a seasonal resident in the Lindsay area all of my life,” Bill says in a media release. “As a senior citizen, one of the key reasons we continue to reside in the area is because we have such a great hospital nearby. When I read about the Split the Pot lottery in kawarthaNOW, I thought it was another great opportunity to support the hospital.”
When ticket sales for Split the Pot Lottery ended on March 21, the jackpot had soared to a final total of $1,077,915. The 13 winners were announced last Monday (March 25), with Bill taking home 60 per cent of the pot. Two more winners split 20 per cent of the pot — including Ryan L. of Peterborough, who won $107,791.50 — and 10 more winners split the remaining 20 per cent of the pot.
Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation CEO Erin Coons was “thrilled” to learn the grand prize winner has chosen to support the foundation when he bought his tickets.
“We couldn’t be happier for Bill and his family,” Coons says. “This is truly a life-changing win. We’re very fortunate to have a vibrant cottage community in Kawartha Lakes — people who consider the Ross to be their hospital, too. We can all ensure our hospital is equipped to care during times of need.”
Hospitals in Ontario depend on fundraising and community donations to acquire medical equipment and technology that is not covered by government funding.
