RAPS 50/50 Winner has Plans for Cash!

Wearing cat ears for Halloween, Tina Veloccia answered the phone and got a treat that was no trick!

Tina Veloccia was at work, at St. Paul’s Hospital, when she got the phone call.

It was also Halloween – and she was wearing her cat ears. An unknown number came up and she ignored it. They called again and she answered. Soon, all her coworkers heard the noise. Tina had won more than $25,000 in the Regional Animal Protection Society’s 50/50 Lottery.

“I had totally forgot that the draw date was that day,” she recalls. “I thought, that’s fantastic.”

But she had no idea the amount of money she had won.

“When he told me, it blew my mind,” she says with a laugh. “Of course, everyone knew after that. They heard the noise.”

Tina is a huge animal ally but she hadn’t really known about RAPS until she stumbled across the organization online and saw the ad for the 50/50 draw. She bought some tickets because she liked what she learned about the organization and its work.

“I love cats,” Tina says. Right now, she has a solo black cat, Bonnie. “I think I need to get more at some point. I think she needs a buddy.”

As she poked around the RAPS website, she was impressed at the range of RAPS’ operations.

“I didn’t really realize how expansive it was,” she said. “I started watching the TV show [Pets & Pickers]. It’s fantastic.”

Tina likes how the TV show captures the integrate work of the organization, how the “pickers” at the RAPS Thrift Stores generate revenue that save lives over at the RAPS Anmal Hosptial.

“I thought, this is a really good organization, I’m gonna put my money in there,” she says.

As it turns out, that “investment” paid off in spades. She came by the RAPS office recently and received a cheque for $25,980.

“I have it in my bank right now,” she says. “I decided to put it in a high-interest savings account and put it out of the way.”

But the windfall will not stay in the bank forever. Her partner has a disability, live son a pensioinand needs a new computer and a drawing tablet. After that, she’ll still have a nice pile to spare and she has some good plans for it.

“Maybe some Christmas gifts and donations to people who need it,” she says.

Congratulations Tina – we could not be happier that the jackpot went to such a devoted animal ally. And we thank EVERYONE who participated. Everyone is a winner when RAPS succeeds – especially the animals!