NEWS RELEASE
EPILEPSY SIMCOE COUNTY
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Epilepsy Simcoe County (ESC) is excited to announce that an online 50/50 raffle has had an amazing first quarter, and will continue to occur monthly in support of epilepsy care in Ontario.
Since July, Epilepsy Simcoe County has received over $1,111 from the 50/50 raffle proceeds to go towards epilepsy care and education in our area.
Epilepsy Simcoe County Executive Director Shawna Bailey says that while $19,000 in money has been awarded to winners, over $4,000 was awarded in August close-to-home.
“I had the honour of driving up to Orillia to present a cheque of $4,688 to Lise; it was great to be able to be able to give someone such great news during COVID.”
Bailey goes on to say that the passion behind the raffle for Epilepsy Simcoe County is two-fold; “the raffle is an amazing way to continue the conversation about epilepsy awareness and bring the conversation to those who may not otherwise be involved in it.”
Paul Raymond, Executive Director of Epilepsy Ontario, says that EO initiated this raffle as a great way to support the programs and services that his office — in addition to the local epilepsy agencies — are currently struggling to maintain for people living with epilepsy.
“We hope that, initially, this raffle will help offset the number of in-person fundraising events that needed to be cancelled due to COVID-19. In the longer term, we hope that it will continue to complement all of the local initiatives happening in local agencies. We always want to give supporters different options and ways of supporting us, and it’s fun for participants to win half of a provincial pot of money!”
Tickets for November can be purchased until Nov. 29 at 11:55 p.m., with the draw and winner being announced on Nov. 30 at 11 a.m.
The amount of the 50/50 will be determined based on the number of tickets sold.
Any Ontario resident 18 years of age or older has an opportunity to purchase online raffle tickets through a secure site.
Proceeds from this online 50/50 raffle will help provide education, advocacy, information, and support services to the almost 95,000 people living with epilepsy and their families in Ontario.
Raffle tickets are 3 for $5, 10 for $10, and 60 for $20.
Everyone in Simcoe County is encouraged to join the ESC 50/50 Draw Facebook page at facebook.com/5050forEpilepsySimcoeCounty for updates on the amount of each monthly pot, and all are reminded to have fun while playing responsibly. Anyone interested in purchasing raffle tickets can do so by clicking here.
Epilepsy Simcoe County (ESC) was established in 1978 as a volunteer organization to assist the people of Simcoe County with education, support, awareness and advocacy.
They are located in downtown Barrie and serve their member base in the Greater Simcoe County area. ESC provides people living with epilepsy education, understanding and support to get help they may need in a caring and understanding environment.
Epilepsy is a common disorder with over 300,000 Canadians affected and over 50 million people world wide. It is estimated 1 in 100 people in Simcoe County live with this disease.
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