The third annual Harley Davidson Draw for The Windsor Youth Centre hauled in an estimated $50,000 Saturday.
Thunder Road Harley Davidson provided the venue for the raffle and sold the 2018 Harley Davidson 115th Anniversary Heritage Classic to organizers at a substantial discount — it's worth more than $30,000.
Program Manager Donna Roy tells AM800 News with very little public funding, every penny counts.
"Provide meals six days a week, we provide outreach four times a week, we're also at the Southwest Detention Centre once a week, we have a parenting group, we have re-laps support," says Roy, who added it's the first raffle done since the centre merged with The Downtown Mission. "This money is very, very, important so we're able to continue the services that we've been offering over the last seven years."
Roy says numbers are down slightly this year, but it's still a win for the outreach program.
"Any extra dollar that we have come in helps us with immediate basic-needs," says Roy. "So, $50,000 will take us well into 2019 to assist the youth, absolutely."
She says several residents have made it their personal mission to raise money for the centre — Rob Grass is one of them — the Atlas Tube employee sold more than 100 tickets.
"We started chatting back and forth about what we do and he just literally took up the cause and took it on himself to just go out there and do this," she says. "He was right there at the door this year to help us out again. He's a phenomenal human."
Rockstar Music Hall, Colchester Bar and Grill, F&J Collision, Windsor Tent and Awning, Sentry Windows and Doors, and Max Mailloux Financial Services all sponsored the event.
The raffle has raised more than $170,000 to date, according to Roy.
Woodslee's Shannon Heath is this year's lucky winner — she wasn't on hand to accept her prize.
Woodslee’s Shannon Heath is the big winner of this year’s Harley Davidson raffle in support of @theWYCcommunity. More than $50,000 were raised. @AM800News @CTVWindsor #cklw pic.twitter.com/iV8Gi7DYEq
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) December 29, 2018