Hogs raffle winner has plans for winnings

Usually the third time’s a charm, but for Jane Whiteman, first time’s a charm as the former resident of Kingsville won the grand prize of $170,525 in the Hogs for Hospice Holiday 50-50 Raffle this past New Year’s Eve.

Jane, a retiree from her work with Community Living, commented about her first time purchase.

“I just saw the tickets for the draw online,” she said. “Every year we give to a different organization, like Brentwood or the Downtown Mission, and we thought we will get tickets for this draw this year. We never win, we just thought it would be a donation to Hospice.”

Whiteman was surpsised by the phone call she got from Joe Oswald.

“When I got the call, I was at my youngest daughter’s house. I never usually answer the phone if I don’t recognize the name,” she said. “When I answered, the man on the other end said that this is Joe from Hogs for Hospice. I said you’re joking. No, he said. I started shaking and crying.”

Speaking on behalf of the Hogs for Hospice board of directors, Joe Oswald provided his own take on the call that they love to give.

“Every ticket that is bought supports the cause and it’s an opportunity to win some life-changing money,” he said. “When I told Jane about her win, there were a few pauses and a lot of emotion. What I love about this family is the first thing out of their mouths was how they could help other family members, extended family, as well as friends. It was all about everyone else, except for themselves. It speaks to the character of this family, and it mirrors our vision.”

To date, Hogs for Hospice has held eight 50-50 draws, and assisted by the generous sponsorship of Double Diamond Farms, has been able to generate a staggering 1.8 million dollars that has been used towards the operating expenses of the Erie Shores Hospice and has provided another 1.8 million dollars via splits on their 50-50 draws for deserving families.

Whiteman was asked as to how she was going to spend her winnings and gave a very altruistic answer that Oswald alluded to.

“We are going to pay for a furnace that my eldest daughter just put in, my youngest daughter has some debt that we will help with and one of my daughter’s mother-in-law has been unemployed for a few years and we will give some money to her,” she said. “We also will send some money back to England to help my sister and her family.”

Jane wanted to offer some parting advice, saying, “If I can win, anyone can win. We’ve always had bad luck and I know it is the luck of the draw, but if you’re going to donate, donate to something worthy.”

Oswald was asked about what comes next for his powerhouse group, saying 

“Our summer event is in full swing — all the bands are booked and our previous partners are on board. The entire weekend is ready to go. Our next 50/50 draw will be launched in July to support our local hospice. There will be some new surprises and we are bringing on a few new partners,” he said. “Get ready, get set, lots of surprises ahead.”