The excitement of Queen of Hearts raffles that has spread through the Chicago area is now available in the Homewood-Flossmoor community. Will the winner be decided at the first drawing on Wednesday, Sept. 12? Organizers hope to keep the raffle going for the 120 days allowed by the license, but it is a game of chance so anyone could win at any time, said Terry Keigher, who is heading up the raffle committee.
The excitement of Queen of Hearts raffles that has spread through the Chicago area is now available in the Homewood-Flossmoor community.
Will the winner be decided at the first drawing on Wednesday, Sept. 12? Organizers hope to keep the raffle going for the 120 days allowed by the license, but it is a game of chance so anyone could win at any time, said Terry Keigher, who is heading up the raffle committee.
Tickets are on sale in $5 increments. For $5, a participant will get six chances to win. The Homewood-Flossmoor High School Foundation is spearheading the fundraiser. The first tickets were sold at the foundation’s annual golf outing dinner on Friday.
Wiley’s Grill at the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District’s Coyote Run Golf Course, 800 Kedzie Ave. in Flossmoor, has agreed to serve as the venue for ticket sales during regular business hours.
Proceeds will be split 50 percent to the winner and 50 percent between the H-F High Foundation that helps underwrite various student extracurricular activities at H-F; the Homewood-Flossmoor Fine and Performing Arts Council and Foundation, the arm that sponsors the annual international music trips for H-F students; and the Flossmoor Service League, a volunteer organization assisting those in need.
Drawings will be at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, with one exception when the drawing will be on Thursday, Sept. 20, due to Yom Kippur falling on a Wednesday. Ticket sales will close 30 minutes before the drawing.
The Queen of Hearts raffle puts the 54 cards in a deck, including the two jokers, onto a board face down in no particular order. Then the cards are numbered 1-54.
With every chance, a purchaser gets to write a number between 1 and 54 on the ticket. That ticket goes into a drum. If the ticket is selected, the number on the ticket is matched with the card number on the deck of cards on the board. If the Queen of Hearts is turned over, there is a lucky winner.
If there is no winner, ticket sales begin anew for the next week’s drawing.
The H-F High Foundation has been fundraising since 1982 to provide monies that can help reduce the cost of extracurricular activities. Students do major fundraisers throughout the year, and the foundation’s resources help reduce the financial burden.
For example, in the past school year the foundation provided $6,000 to help the Viking Orchestra with expenses during its trip to Germany. It awarded $4,000 to the H-F Steppers for its trip to New Jersey, where the team won the national title.
The H-F FPAC has been sponsoring trips since the late 1990s. Parent groups and students work for months to raise money for the trips, and the Flossmoor Service League’s annual fundraising events include an annual house walk.
Kreigher said fundraising efforts by the three organizations will continue, and the HF-FPAC’s annual auction in January will be the major fundraising event for student musician trips.
But he said the organizers hope the interest in the Queen of Hearts raffle will gain momentum and become a regular fundraising event each fall.
For those who aren’t interested in the raffle but would like to support the efforts of the three volunteer organizations, checks can be sent to the H-F High School Foundation at H-F High School, 999 Kedzie Ave., Flossmoor, IL 60422.
For additional information, contact [email protected].
