Ria McIntosh wins $36,215 from March’s 50/50 draw

The winning ticket number, I-2715451, for the March draw was pulled at 11 AM on Wednesday, March 31st for a prize of $36,215.00.

Ria McIntosh thought it was a prank call, an early April fool’s Joke. She couldn’t believe that Sarah Zinger, manager of the 50/50 Hospital Lottery for Guelph General Hospital, was telling her the truth – that she held the winning ticket. “I don’t win things!” she thought.

Turns out that her luck had improved and she was indeed the winner of $36,215.00. The first thing Ria did was call her daughter Angela to tell her the news. She was so shaky it was hard to place the call. By the time her daughter picked up, Ria had already forgotten how much she had won. Angela quickly verified the number for her mom by checking the Foundation Facebook page.

Next she texted her son Tom at work and asked him to call when he could. Ria told a surprised Tom to start picking out a new set of golf clubs.

After talking to her kids, Ria sat on her sofa still in shock. She felt a sense of relief that this windfall would top up her savings after recently having to install a new roof, replace a gas hot water heater and have a tree taken down. “I’m 77 and I do need to be careful with my money. Now I can add to my savings for any emergencies in the family”, she enthused.

Ria would also like to give some money to her grandson Tate who is 20 and granddaughter Lexi, age 16. As for plans to spend money on herself, Ria demurred saying “My travelling days are done. I couldn’t sit on a plane again, even though I loved visiting family in Holland. I immigrated to Canada in 1957 when I was 13 years old. No, I think my husband Don, who died four years ago, would tell me to save it. He was a saver.”

Ria has already promised to show her sister-in-law and a friend how to use the website to buy tickets. She thinks everyone should play and also plans to buy again. “What a fun way to support the community. I want a great hospital in case any of my family and my friends have to use it.”