Big Prizes in IAA Raffle

by E. Ross

What would you do with $11,000?

That's the grand prize for the Interior AIDS Association's annual raffle, the biggest fundraiser of the year for IAA. They only sell 250 tickets, so the odds are good. A $100 ticket gives you the chance to win one of five $500 prizes and the one big prize of $11,000. 

"The raffle is open to anyone who wishes to buy a ticket," writes Barbara Hogue, Office Manager of IAA. "People as far away as Ohio have purchased tickets in the past."

In addition to those prizes, $250 will be awarded to the person who sells the most tickets, and another $250 awarded to the person who sold the winning ticket, if the seller signed the back of the ticket stub before turning it in to IAA.

All tickets will be drawn on Friday, June 27, 2008 at the International "Big I" Bar, beginning at 8 p.m.

The five $500 prizes will be given to the buyers of the 1st, 50th, 100th, 150th and 200th tickets drawn out of the barrel. The buyer of the last ticket left in the barrel will win the grand prize - unless both of the last two ticket buyers agreed to split the grand prize evenly. This unusual twist means that ticket buyers must mark on each ticket either "Yes" they will split the grand prize in half if they are one of the last two tickets, or "No" they won't split it, they want 'all or nothing'. Both of the last two tickets must have "Yes" marked on them to split the pot. If one or both have "No" on them, the drawing will continue until only one ticket wins the full prize.

To qualify for a prize, the name, address and contact phone number of the buyer must be recorded at the time of the ticket sale, and "Yes" or "No" to the split must be marked on the stub.

So, what would you do with $11,000?

Founded in 1988 by a group of concerned Fairbanksans, the Interior AIDS Association is a community-based, nonprofit education and social service organization. IAA's mission is to reduce the spread of HIV and to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.

To buy a ticket, contact Barbara.