Russell family wins Neepawa and District Medical Lotto
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Mary Ellen Clark presents Travis Layh with the grand prize cheque from the Neepawa & District Medical Committee 2017 Farm and Leisure Lotto.
Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Press
Travis Layh and family of Russell have some big plans for their recent financial windfall from the 2017 Farm and Leisure Lotto; the Neepawa and District Medical Committee have even bigger plans for theirs.
On Friday, June 16, Layh, whose ticket was selected from the grand prize draw, received a cheque of $100,000 from Medical Committee Lottery chairperson Mary Ellen Clark. In total, there were 17 draws, including five prizes of $1,000 each and 10 of $500 each. As well as early bird and 50/50 prizes.
Layh said that this was the first time his family had participated in the annual lottery, which is the major fundraiser for the Medical Committee. He noted that they never expected to win the grand prize and were simply getting involved because they saw all the good that it did for Neepawa and the surrounding community.
“Though [our family] has never required the local medical services, we know how important they are to the entire region. That’s why we decided to support the lottery. You may as well support it and make sure the facilities are there if, and when, you need them,” noted Layh. “The odds of winning are pretty good compared to [similar hospital lotteries] in Winnipeg, so if you want to make a donation to a good cause and have a chance of getting something out of it when it’s all said and done, this is a good draw to sponsor.”
Layh said the family already have some plans for the money, as they’ll make a few renovations to their home. He said they may also use a little bit of the cash to take the kids “someplace nice,” for vacation.
Mary Ellen Clark, the Lottery chair for the Neepawa and District Medical Committee, said the ongoing support from the entire Westman region has been fantastic, but seeing newer families, like the Layhs, getting involved is very important for their future prosperity.
“We had tremendous support from the local community this year, because, in part, they saw that the parking lot was vacant. The houses that were there were demolished and they could really see that we were doing something,” stated Clark. “It’s great to see the new people purchasing and seeing the value in supporting something like this. For a younger family like the Layhs, for example, to support us by buying a ticket is huge.”
Arlene Murray of Brandon, was the 50/50 draw winner of this year’s lotto, receiving the cheque from Clark on June 6. Murray noted she was pretty excited to receive a cheque for $51,755.00, as the 50/50 winner.
“My kids phoned me on [the day of the draw]. They knew more than me and they were excited! I entered the lotto from listening to the radio broadcast [from Brandon]. My plan is to save $150.00 for next year’s ticket, but I have not yet decided on the rest. I will think of something, guaranteed!”
Clark thanked everyone for supporting the lotto and ensuring that it was a huge success. The proceeds from the lottery help to fund improvements to Neepawa’s medical services, with money going towards the expansion of the Beautiful Plains Community Medical Clinic.
