Congratulations to our December 50/50 Hospital Lottery Winner!

Keith innocently picked up the phone shortly after 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 30^th not knowing that his life was about to change. On the other end of the phone was Elizabeth Stewart from The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital to share the happy news that he was the grand prize winner of $32,032 in the 50/50 Hospital Lottery for Guelph General Hospital.

You can relive the magic of that call on our social media platforms as we smartly filmed the happy scene. You can hear Keith telling his wife, Louise, who started screaming in joy in the background once she figured out what was happening.

After hanging up the phone, Keith had the thought, “What if it’s not mine?” He had purchased tickets to the 50/50 for both his sister, who was visiting from New Brunswick, and his step-daughter as Christmas presents. Unable to find his own emailed ticket numbers, he called each of them to verify against theirs. After some suspenseful moments, he found out it really was his windfall. Phew! (Although Keith thoughtfully shared a bit of the winnings with each of them as a sort of consolation prize. How sweet.)

Immediately Keith and Louise chatted about what they should do with the money. They decided to pay off in full their brand new furnace and heat pump purchased in December, instead of financing it out. Neither Keith nor Louise, married for sixteen years, like accumulating too much debt.

Once dispensing with the practical, time for fun. Plans are percolating for a trip to Europe. Keith was in the military for 24 years before his retirement and spent four years in Germany. “I would love to go back and see how things have changed and show those sites to Louise.”

Keith commented, “We are excited to know that we can continue to give back to the community. We already support The Guelph Food Bank, Hope House and Adopt-a-Family at The Children’s Foundation, plus we plan to donate a portion of these winnings straight back to support Guelph General. Keith states, “All of my interactions with Guelph General staff and caregivers in the past were very positive and we are so happy to be able to give some of our good fortune back in support. We need a strong local hospital.” Thank you, Keith and Louise, for your generous gift!

We were curious, would he continue to play? When asked, Keith laughed and cheerfully said, “I already bought tickets for January. Maybe I can be lucky again.” That’s the spirit!

Purchase tickets and support Guelph General Hospital at ggh5050.ca.