Eight area residents went home with some impressive prizes Monday, but the real winners are the local organizations that will benefit from the proceeds.
Raceway Charities of Texoma (RCT) held its first-ever Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights raffle, giving ticket holders a chance to win everything from a kids racing dirt bike to a professional welding table while helping raise money for local organizations.
Winners were drawn Monday during an RCT Labor Day lake cookout at Big Mineral’s Goose Island.
Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights raffle winners were:
• Shane (last name not provided) – RPS 70CC kids racing dirt bike
• Melissa Adams – Set of two John Deere bar stools
• Ty Miller – NAPA tool bag
• Robert Davis – Two-night, off-season campsite at Big Mineral with washer toss game set
• Randy Wells – O’Reilly wash bucket kit
• Joshua Gant – Wheeler Metal Extreme HD welding table
• Travis Nobles – Lincoln Power MIG 140 MP welder
• Genaro Recinos – Two tickets to the TMS Dirt Track Championship
RCT founder Steve Sprague said the idea for the raffle came after seeing the success of ticket raffles held by Whitesboro’s Peanut Festival and other area organizations.
Sprague is always looking for creative ways to support local communities, and he saw the raffle as another opportunity for RCT to raise money while bringing some excitement to those who purchased tickets.
Tickets went on sale Memorial Day weekend for $20 each and were available in Whitesboro at Cripple Creek Ranch Texas Store and Threaded, as well as in Missouri at Ed Morris Chevrolet in Lebanon and Pogue Motors in Wentzville.
“Thanks to everyone who purchased tickets, RCT is able to spread donations around to several local organizations,” Sprague said.
The raffle also received support from a long list of businesses and sponsors who contributed a diverse lineup of prizes and helped make the fundraiser possible.
Local contributors included Big Mineral Resort & Marina; Threaded; Mr. Jose; Sonic; Brookshire Bros.; United Ag & Turf; Nobles Tree Care; O’Reilly in Van Alstyne; Cripple Creek Ranch Texas Store; Hayes’s Florist; and the Whitesboro News-Record.
Out-of-state sponsors included Cone’s Motorcycle Sales of Norman, Oklahoma; Heritage Tractor of Rogersville, Missouri; NAPA of Batesville, Arkansas; and Wheeler Metals of Muskogee, Oklahoma.
For Sprague, the success of the raffle is about more than the prizes.
“RCT enjoyed doing the raffle, and we’re already planning on doing another one this winter,” he said. “We really enjoy doing charity work – it brings us such joy. What we do truly comes from the heart, and we love being able to give back to the community.”
With one raffle now in the books and another already in the works, Sprague said RCT’s commitment to giving back is just getting started. The prizes may have gone home with eight lucky winners, but the generosity behind the raffle will continue to benefit the communities RCT calls home.
