United Way auto

raffle drives through

halfway milepost
By Sherrie Norris

The halfway point of this year’s High Country United Way (HCUW) car raffle has been passed, but there’s still time to get your name in the pot to win a 2007 PT Cruiser, thanks to United Way and Randy Ross of Ross Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Boone.

Feb. 14 will prove to be a very “lovely” day when one of the 10 weekly raffle drawing winners drives away in a new car.

The winners, so far, include Elizabeth “Pam” Icenhour, a Harris Teeter employee; Mary Louise Roberts, an employee at High Country Bank; Tammy Guilford, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff ; Alan Greene, Harris Teeter; David Goldstein, First Citizens Bank of Boone; and Kathy Greene, Wachovia Bank of Boone.

Weekly drawings have been held at various locations across the Watauga-Avery area each Friday since they began on Dec. 7. The last finalist will be drawn on Friday, Feb. 8, followed the next week by all “contestants” gathering at Ross’ place of business for the grand prize drawing. While one drives the car from the lot, the remaining nine will each receive a $100 gas card.

All finalists must be present at the main event to qualify for the car giveaway.

“Everyone is a winner,” said Jenny Miller, executive director of HCUW, who emphasized that all the money raised through the raffle goes toward the organization’s annual campaign goal of $600,000, which, when distributed later this year among partnering agencies, “goes a long way to help a lot of people.”

At presstime, HCUW estimated that nearly 80 percent of its goal has been met, with this year’s campaign ending March 31.

“Our success at this point proves that this wonderful community continues to embrace us,” Miller said.

“Everyone knows that as they are feeding us with funding, we’re able to continue feeding the community. We are good watchdogs of donor dollars and that means a lot to people who give their money.”

Miller said that the funds are disbursed after a panel of community members decide upon the allocations “around the first of June.”

“They meet for hours, hearing the needs of the agencies and determine, as a group, where each dollar will be best spent. It’s important, I think, for people to know how those decisions are made. They do not come from our office, but rather from a caring group of people who have the community’s best interest at heart,” she said.

This year’s campaign chairman, Jason Triplett, market president of Wachovia Bank of Boone, jumped on board, fostering a genuine compassion for the people he serves on a daily basis, as well as those he meets through his campaign leadership.

Triplett feels that taking the campaign into the workplace has been a contributing factor to its success, citing the recent affiliation with Appalachian Regional Healthcare System as a huge step in the right direction, in addition to the valuable support United Way receives from Appalachian State University and its staff through their annual state employee fundraising efforts.

Triplett also noted that participation from the local resort areas always has a tremendous impact upon the organization’s successful fundraising.

“We feel very comfortable overall, but we still need the community’s support as we near the finish line. We hope to continue generating public interest and enthusiasm in the entire fundraising project, and especially through this car raffle. We want to thank everyone who is participating, and especially Randy Ross, for stepping forward to make it possible this year,” he said.

Ross was a key leader in last year’s inaugural raffle, joined by three fellow auto dealers in Boone, although he returned as the sole contributor this year. In an earlier interview, Ross said, “It’s just a great way to give back to the community. The United Way is able to help so many people through their partnering agencies, and an important aspect of that is — all of the money they raise stays right here in this area. That means a lot to me.”

Ross described the retro-inspired vehicle he provided for the giveaway as “real gas saver,” listing for $16,125 with a manual transmission, 2.4 liter engine and fully equipped with a remote keyless entry, power windows and a powerful AM/FM/ CD stereo system — “with six speakers.”

The car has become a familiar site around town, as it is displayed at various locations through Feb. 7.

Raffle tickets are selling for $50 each, or $90 for two, with a two-ticket limit per person.

While most area banks have been selling the tickets, as of this week, new locations across the High Country have been added as ticket outlets for consumer convenience. They include Harris Teeter and Mast stores.

With each ticket from these new sites will be processing instructions and an envelope to ensure proper delivery to HCUW offices.

Workplace participants qualify for the raffle through employer payroll deduction, “as long as they fill out a pledge card, sign it and make sure it is in the HCUW office with required amounts promised,” Miller said.

Any person 18 years of age or older who holds a valid driver’s license and can provide valid proof of auto insurance prior to the final drawing is eligible to participate, with the exception of High Country United Way staff, board members, employees of Ross Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge and their immediate families.

High Country United Way reserves the right to determine the validity of the entries and reminds potential participants that the purchase of a raffle ticket or tickets is not a tax-deductible contribution, according to the IRS.