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Grand prize Dream Home winners Dwayne and Sandra Van Schaick of Grande Prairie. Photo/Courtney Almeida
Dream Home Lottery

Grande Prairie locals win big in 2019 Rotary Dream Home Lottery

Apr 27, 2019 | 7:00 AM

The 2019 Rotary Dream Home Lottery draw took place on Friday evening at the 1.4 million dollar Dream Home located in Carriage Lane Estates. Two Grande Prairie locals took home both the grand prize and 50/50 prize.

Dwayne and Sandra Van Schaick won the grand prize dream home and Linda Rosentreter took home a 50/50 record breaking 286,600 dollars.

“It’s very overwhelming and we’re really happy to have family and close friends here to celebrate with us,” says Sandra Van Schaick.

Dream Home winners Dwayne and Sandra Dwayne & Sandra Van Schaick of Grande Prairie.

The Van Schaick’s have had past success with playing the lottery. They won a vehicle in last year’s Dream Home Lottery and have won another vehicle from an Edmonton area hospital lottery.

“We support the hospital lotteries,” said Sandra Van Schaick. Husband, Dwayne continues, “it’s our donation. Nobody really expects to win but you buy a ticket anyway and hope for the best, right.”

The 26th annual lottery experienced record highs, selling 77,000 dollars more between the three lotteries in comparison to the 2018 draw.

“We added 135,000 dollars in Dream Home tickets in 2019 compared to last year,” says Kevin Hilgers, Raffle Manager for the Rotary Dream Home Lottery.

Hilgers explains that of those additional tickets, “every last ticket other than 168 of the “eight” packs,” were sold.

Another notable record high for this year’s lottery was seen in the 50-50 draw. “The old record was 2018’s $550,000. This year we sold $573,200. So, we are very grateful for that,” said Hilgers.

50/50 winner Linda Rosentreter of Grande Prairie. Photo/Courtney Almeida

Tickets printed were also increased for the Cash Cow Calendar Lottery and Hilgers says every ticket was sold except, “51 “three” packs” which is just, “51 short of a sell-out.”

The increase of sales contributes to an increase in the dollar amount that will be put back into the community.

Groups that help sell lottery tickets on behalf of Rotary each receive funding from the tickets sold.

Grand prize Dream Home in Carriage Lane Estates. Photo/winadreamhome- web

Upwards of 20 organizations will receive funding from this year’s sales. Organizations that participated include; Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Grande Prairie, GPPSD Education Foundation, Nitehawk Alpine Ski Team, QEII Hospital Auxiliary Association and Special Olympics Grande Prairie.

The public was invited to visit the Dream Home for the winners draw which took place at 7 p.m. Interested participants who couldn’t attend the event were also able to watch the draw online as it was live streamed on the Dream Home Lottery Facebook page.

The Rotary Dream Home Lottery draw took place at the Carriage Lane Estates Dream Home. Photo/ Courtney Almeida

“It’s always a fun evening and if we’re lucky the winner lives close by,” said Hilgers.

Learn more about the Rotary Dream Home Lottery and find a full list of winners here.