Congratulations to December’s Grand Prize winner of $47,560, Jim Bailey!

“I had to pull the car over. I couldn’t focus on the road,” exclaimed Jim Bailey when asked to describe his reaction to learning he was the winner of $47,560 in the 50/50 Hospital Lottery for Guelph General Hospital. “My wife, Melinda, and my daughter, Carina, were just discussing that it was draw day ten minutes earlier. We were saying, ‘Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if we won’. Then my cell phone rang and it was Elizabeth Stewart calling from the Foundation. I almost didn’t take the call because I didn’t recognize the number and was a bit gruff when I answered, expecting it to be a telemarketer. Then we were all screaming in excitement and Elizabeth was laughing joyfully in response to our reaction.”

It was Melinda who first heard about the new 50/50 lottery being launched by the Foundation in July of 2020. She had followed the Foundation on Facebook ever since her daughter was involved in the Beyond Borders experiential education program which raised funds to support Guelph General Hospital through a gala event. “I told Jim about it straight away and we purchased that first month and every single month since, never missing! We increased to the 200 tickets for $40 when that bundle became available. We were both excited when our co-worker at Oregon Tool, Rebecca Dollery, won over $60,000 in September and hoped someday it would be us.”

Jim and Melinda like supporting local causes through 50/50 and raffle draws but their biggest previous win was $3,000. Both of them still can’t believe this big win happened for them. Together for 31 years, after meeting while working in production at Blount, now Oregon Tool, the couple have raised two daughters, Addison and Carina, who are now 20 and 24 years old. Their long-anticipated 30^th wedding anniversary cruise set for 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19 but recently their luck turned around. Their names were drawn by St. Andrew’s in Fife, Scotland and they were given the opportunity to purchase tickets for the upcoming 150^th Master’s Open this July. This win will help pay for the trip.

They also hope to drive to Prince Edward Island this year, stopping to golf along the way with new custom clubs fitted and sized for them. Part of their winnings will also go toward their dream trip to Hawaii sometime in the future.

One other special thing the couple is planning to do with their winnings is to donate a portion back to the Foundation to support the purchase of patient care equipment at Guelph General Hospital. Thank you, Jim and Melinda, for the generous gift of $2,500. As well, they plan to continue to play the 50/50 each and every month.

Congratulations!

Don’t miss out on January’s 50/50 draw! The guaranteed prize is $9,999 plus two early birds for $500 on Friday, January 14th. Make sure to buy your tickets before 10:59 a.m. on January 14th to be included in both the early bird draw as well as the grand prize draw. That’s a lot of chances to win.

Buy your tickets today —-> http://.ggh5050.ca

The next lucky grand prize winner will be drawn on Monday, January 31st at 11:00 a.m.

Proceeds from the 50/50 lottery will be used towards the purchase of a new MRI scanner for Guelph General Hospital. A new MRI will improve image quality. Doctors will be able to see smaller details with greater clarity, leading to an earlier and more accurate diagnosis. It will also be up to two times faster! A scan that now takes 30 minutes could be completed in 15 to 20 minutes. GGH will be able to complete more patient scans per hour of operation. And the new scanner is capable of producing images for a broader range of injuries and illnesses.

On behalf of the entire community, thank you for your support. When our hospital is able to purchase essential patient care equipment, we all win.

50/50 tickets can be purchased by anyone 18+ years old within the province of Ontario at http://ggh5050.ca. Lottery License #1202393