Longtime Dream Lottery supporter from Petrolia, Ont. wins grand prize
A longtime supporter of the Dream Lottery has finally drawn a lucky ticket after being crowned the contest’s grand prize winner.
The lottery is a joint venture between Children’s Health Foundation, London Health Sciences Foundation and St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation, and it aims to support hospitals in London, Ont.
Since its inception in 1996, more than $53 million has been raised to fund research, training, and the purchasing of emerging technology and cutting-edge equipment at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), and the Children’s Hospital at LHSC.
A heartwarming moment from earlier today when Mary VanDenBerge of Petrolia learned she was the grand prize winner of this year’s Dream Lottery. Delivering the good news on behalf of @DreamIt_WinIt is @CHFHope president/CEO Scott Fortnum pic.twitter.com/pH586V2WeO
— Andrew Graham (@andrewjwgraham) December 21, 2022
On Wednesday, officials revealed Mary VanDenBerge of Petrolia had been selected as the grand prize winner of this year’s Dream Lottery.
VanDenBerge now has the choice between a Dream Home in Talbotville, a Dream Home on Wheels, or the all-cash option of $1 million.
“No frickin’ way,” VanDenBerge said when she heard the good news via a phone call.
“I’m at the gym with my daughter and I said, ‘if the phone rings, I’ve got to answer it, because you and I are heading to London.'”
VanDenBerge said that she and her husband had supported the Dream Lottery since it began, adding that her husband died from cancer about a year and a half ago.
“Your health care, your hospitals, helped us so much,” VanDenBerge said through grateful tears.
On the other end of the call to VanDenBerge was Scott Fortnum, the president and CEO of Children’s Health Foundation.
“I just think it’s so wonderful that in this next chapter of her life — it sounds like she’s got kids and grandkids and the whole bit — it warmed my heart to know that we have such a wonderful winner and someone who supported the lottery for years,” Fortnum told Global News.
London Health Sciences Foundation president and CEO John MacFarlane said that while it’s common for winners to have a connection with the hospitals the lottery supports, he’s still amazed by every new story he discovers.
“It’s what we call ‘grateful patients.’ They want to buy tickets, they want to give back, support the hospital, because they’ve had a positive experience. We have grateful patients, but we are grateful as a community,” MacFarlane said.
St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation president and CEO Michelle Campbell said that every ticket goes a long way in supporting local health care and shared one of the many initiatives that will benefit from this year’s lottery.
“This year at St. Joseph’s, part of the proceeds are going to support the acquisition of imaging technology that’s used in our surgical suites that really help the surgeons in the middle of a surgery to see the surgical field in real-time in a very different way,” Campbell said.
“We simply couldn’t have that kind of technology when people come to us for care without projects like the Dream Lottery.
Terri Foris of Woodstock was crowned the Grand Prize 2 Winner and receives the choice between a BMW X5 xDrive40i or $100,000.
Grand Prize 3 Winner is Ellen Brown of London, who wins the choice between $50,000 or a Dream Vacation that includes travel to London, U.K., Paris, South Africa, Hamburg and Peru.
The Dream Lottery’s 50/50 prize draw went to Donna M. Strangio of London, who receives half of the $1,251,260 prize pool.
All of the winning tickets were drawn on Tuesday at the office of MNP in London.
by 980 CFPL
