Geographically, it’s a good fit, and to Wallaceburg’s Sandra Denomey, it became a $50,000 thank you.
A long-term supporter of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation, Denomey recently won the foundation’s grand prize of $50,245 in the Igniting Healthcare Summer 50/50 Lottery.
This year’s Summer 50/50 raised funds for the Our Hospital, Our Future Wallaceburg Redevelopment Campaign, a $9-million-plus community fundraising effort to revitalize and modernize Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s Wallaceburg Site.
Drawing the winning ticket was only a small phase of trying to get the funds in Denomey’s hands. They stopped by her home, called her, sent texts and finally connected to deliver the good news.
Denomey said
she was “absolutely stunned” and could hardly believe she was the grand prize winner.
“It was such a shock,” she said in a media release. “I just kept thinking, ‘Is this real?’ I never imagined it would be me!”
A long-standing monthly donor to the foundation and former board member for the Sydenham District Hospital Foundation, Denomey is deeply connected to the Wallaceburg community and hospital. In fact, on the morning of the draw, she was at the hospital for an appointment.
“This hospital is so important to our community,” she said. “Without it, people would have to travel long distances for services they can get right here at home. That’s why the Wallaceburg Redevelopment Campaign matters so much.”
Denomey called the win “a gift,” and said she and her husband Keith intend to treat it that way. Their plan is to give back to local organizations and causes close to their hearts.
“We both feel blessed by this, and we want to share that blessing,” she said. “We’ll use some for ourselves, but we plan to give much of it back to the community, because that feels right to us.”
Since 2019, CKHAF’s Igniting Healthcare 50/50 Fundraiser has awarded over $1 million in prizes while raising critical funds to strengthen healthcare across Chatham-Kent.
