SASKATOON, SK, Aug. 2, 2019 – Many STARS supporters across Saskatchewan received some exciting news following the final draws of the 2019 STARS lottery yesterday.
Mossbank resident Gary Woit was visiting neighbours when he received the call from an enthusiastic room of STARS crew and a former patient telling him he’d won the $1.5 million Saskatoon area grand prize show home. “You’re kidding!” he said. “You hope to win a smaller prize, but I never thought I’d win a big one!”
Wally Penner of Saskatoon was taken aback when he was informed that he’d won the Lucky STARS 50/50 draw — with a payout of $875,000 cash. “That’s amazing,” he said. “That sure made my day!”
Penner said he has purchased STARS lottery tickets for many years. “Supporting STARS is always a good thing because it helps so many people,” he said.
Fred Matiko, lottery lead for the STARS Foundation said the final draws are one of his favourite days of the year at STARS.
“It’s a great pleasure to make these often life-changing calls to the lottery winners,” said Matiko. “And it’s an honour to thank the winners for their support of our lottery, which is our largest fundraiser of the year and critical to the operation of our service for the people of the province.”
Cindy Seidl, provincial director, Saskatchewan operations also made some of those memorable phone calls Thursday morning at the STARS Saskatoon base.
“Thanks to our strong supporters in the community, the STARS Lottery Saskatchewan once again was 100 per cent sold,” said Seidl. “Everyone who buys a ticket joins our fight to save lives. By supporting the STARS lottery for the past eight years, you have continued to fuel our passion and innovation as we deliver vital care to critically ill and injured people across Saskatchewan.”
The lottery finished strong, selling out nine days prior to the July 18 deadline. It raised approximately $2.5 million net for the non-profit, with 2,016 prizes worth more than $4.1 million retail.
Top prize winners include:
For general information about the STARS lottery and for a complete list of winners, visit STARSLotterySaskatchewan.ca. The lottery license number is LR18-0113.
For more information contact:
Mark Oddan, STARS | mediainfo@stars.ca | 306-565-8000 | STARSLotterySaskatchewan.ca
ABOUT STARS
Simply put, STARS fights for life. Since we embarked on our first mission in 1985, we’ve been driven by the goal of providing people the vital care they need when they need it the most. Whether it’s offering hands-on training to rural medical providers or providing rapid, emergency medical transportation for the critically ill and injured, we operate 24/7 from bases in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, anticipating and acting when people need our help. Learn more at stars.ca