Meet the Winners
RAPS was thrilled to give away a vehicle, a pot of cash and other prizes this week!
We celebrated this week with the winners of our Applewood / RAPS Car Lottery and our annual RAPS 50/50 Draw!
The winners came by to collect their prizes and we are thrilled to share their stories …
David Wilkinson won the 2025 Nissan Kicks, courtesy of Applewood Auto Group.
When RAPS CEO Eyal Lichtmann called to tell him he had won the car, David Wilkinson was in the parking lot heading in to work. He answered the phone, even though he thought it might be a scam.
“I didn’t expect to win,” says David. “I just bought the ticket to support RAPS and didn’t think about it too much.”
He didn’t know about the Regional Animal Protection Society until recently, when one of his employers (he has two jobs), World Financial Group, held a webinar on financial planning for households with pets.
When he was in Guildford Town Centre mall a few weeks ago and saw the prize car on display, he took then opportunity to buy some tickets.
“It feels so bizarre, so unlikely,” he says. “I was astounded. I’ve never won anything even remotely close to something this valuable.”
The win was sort of a two-fer for David. He won a new SUV, which will allow for more weekend getaways and summer road trips, for which his compact car wasn’t ideal. Plus, he gets some cash for trading in his old car, which will help pay for upcoming trips to California and Korea.
“I’m still in disbelief,” he says.
David shared a bit of his recent history. A couple of years ago, he was in a serious car accident while leaving work at Tilbury Industrial Park in Delta. His car was hit by a commercial truck, causing him serious harm, including a brain injury. Coworkers who saw the car after the accident were surprised he survived.
After being in a coma for three-and-a-half weeks, David has been in physiotherapy ever since.
“My brain has difficulty connecting with the left side of my body,” he says. His doctor is optimistic, saying as long as David doggedly keeps up with his intensive exercise and therapy regime, he keeps “getting better and better.”
We are so thrilled for David – and so grateful to Applewood Auto Group for donating this stunning prize vehicle, and for all the support they give to RAPS and the animals. In addition to this donated vehicle, Applewood had donated RAPS Urgent Transport Vehicle and Applewood also provides rent-free the space housing the RAPS Animal Hospital and administrative offices – a value over years of millions of dollars. RAPS has no greater community corporate ally than Applewood! When you are in the market for a new or new-to-you vehicle, please choose a dealer who shares your animal-loving values. Choose Applewood!
Adnan Rabbani is the winner of the RAPS 50/50 Draw.
Adnan Rabbani dropped by this week to collect a cheque for $17,707.50. (Note the coincidental “Lucky 7” motif!)
Unlike David, Adnan didn’t pick up when RAPS called with the good news. He saw he had a voicemail and, rather than listen, he called the unfamiliar number back.
“It was Eyal and he told me I’d won,” Adnan recalls. “I thought it was a scam.” (Recurring theme!)
Even though he had bought his 50/50 tickets only a few days earlier, he had forgotten he had entered the contest. In fact – he almost didn’t enter.
Adnan, who works as an educational assistant with the Burnaby school district and with Coast Mental Health as a mental health worker in group home settings, bought a Kia from Applewood a year-and-a-half ago. Because he was on their mailing list, he received an email from Applewood about the contest. It went to his spam folder and he had a look at it eight minutes before the midnight deadline last week.
“I got lucky,” he says with a laugh. “I was just about to go to bed and I thought, you know what, I’ll just do it, and I went to sleep.”
That impulsive last-minute decision netted more than $17,000. Finding out on a Friday afternoon made for a cheery weekend.
“It was kind of like I was dreaming all weekend,” he says.
He’ll take the family out for a nice dinner, but mostly the money will pay off his car and he’ll save the rest.
Adnan didn’t know about RAPS before getting the email from Applewood – so we are extra thankful for the partnership that helps raise awareness – as well as money! – to help us save and improve the lives of animals.
But wait, there’s more …
Three other major prizes went to lucky winners this week.
- Richard Barnes won the Travel Package, including a $1,000 (Canadian) gift certificate for Air Canada and a $750 (US) gift certificate to Marriott hotels and resorts.
- Jason Bhala won an entertainment system, featuring a 60” Samsung UHD 4K television and a Samsung soundbar.
- Lorna Beecroft won a $500 Gift Card to the RAPS Animal Hospital.
Congratulations to all our winners!
A huge thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Applewood / RAPS Car Lottery and the RAPS 50/50 Draw.
Even if you didn’t win, the animals do!
Thank you!
