The Timmins and District Hospital Foundation has unveiled a pop-up location where shoppers can purchase tickets for December’s 50/50 draws. The store, located at Timmins Square beside Tim Hortons, will be open until December 28 during regular mall hours.
Barb McCormick is the organization’s Manager of Donor Relations, and she says this is the first time the foundation has done a pop-up thanks to following the lead from other organizations. “The idea came from some of our other hospital foundation friends, and we thought this was an opportunity to be able to see more of our community members who aren’t necessarily in the hospital on a regular basis. We also have the opportunity to talk to people about what the foundation does for the hospital.”
McCormick says since opening Tuesday morning the response from the people in Timmins and area has been phenomenal. “The traffic we are bringing in has been exceptional. We are receiving regular players who want to add some stocking stuffers so what we are doing is packaging their printed tickets in a lovely Christmas envelope.” She added many people weren’t even aware the foundation runs a lottery.
The lottery is offering its biggest secondary prize to date, a 2023 Cadillac XT5 from Timmins Garage which will be drawn on December 21. A $25 thousand cash prize is also up for grabs on December 14. Tickets are available online at www.timminsdistrict5050.ca and at the pop-up location.
The foundation, while not having any direct affiliation with the hospital itself, wants the public to know where their fundraising dollars are going. “All the money we raise is returned to the hospital in order to purchase medical equipment and help pay for renovations to ensure we are providing care to patients coming from all over the district. It allows people to access treatments close to home,” adds McCormick.
Since its inception, the 50/50 has raised over $16 million in gross revenue. That means eight million dollars in player prizes and eight million dollars in reduced expenses for the hospital.