Wallaceburg resident Sandra Denomey has won the $50,245 grand prize in the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation’s Igniting Healthcare Summer 50/50 Lottery.
Her winning ticket was drawn Sept. 25. The foundation said staff set out immediately to deliver the news, finally reaching her after several attempts.
“It was such a shock,” Denomey said. “I just kept thinking, ‘Is this real?’ I never imagined it would be me!”
A long-time monthly donor to the foundation and former board member of the Sydenham District Hospital Foundation, Denomey said the win was especially meaningful given her ties to the Wallaceburg site.
“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 said she and her husband Keith view the prize as “a gift.”
“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.”
Christine Mitchell, the foundation’s president and CEO, said community support was crucial in the fundraiser’s success.
“We are so grateful to everyone who purchased tickets, to our incredible sponsors, and to the community for rallying together once again,” Mitchell said. “This was truly a team effort to raise funds for our Wallaceburg Redevelopment Campaign, and we couldn’t imagine a more deserving winner than Sandra! This is the perfect reminder that when you give, you can also receive something life-changing in return.”
The lottery raised funds for the “Our Hospital, Our Future” Wallaceburg Redevelopment Campaign, a $9-million effort to modernize and expand local health services. Since its launch in 2019, the Igniting Healthcare 50/50 has awarded more than $1 million in prizes while raising money to strengthen health care across Chatham-Kent.
