Young winner of $100,000 tuition raffle ticket a lucky duck!
Posted on Apr 29, 2008
MILFORD, Conn--First-grader Katie Allbert of Milford, shown here, has more than a winning smile. For selling the most ducks in the Milford Catholic Elementary Schools’ first annual Milford Harbor Duck Race, Katie was awarded a raffle ticket that could lead to her winning $100,000 in tuition to attend any accredited K-12, college or graduate school in the United States.
The first raffle of its kind in Connecticut, the prize money can be designated to be used for up to two students. Eligible expenses include tuition, room and board, books and other school-related fees, with the prize money paid directly to the school.
To win her “golden ticket,” Katie, 7, sold 246 ducks and helped raise more than $1,200 to benefit Milford’s three Catholic elementary schools--St. Mary, St. Ann and her own St. Gabriel. And for Katie, just receiving the ticket from Lauralton Hall President Barbara C. Griffin was an exciting event. Her mom, Mary Elizabeth (Lorenzo) Allbert, is a Class of 1989 alumnae, and Katie plans on one day being a ‘Lauralton lady’ herself.
“Katie has already told her friends at St. Gabriel School that she wants to go to Lauralton, and she encourages them to go too,” Mary Elizabeth said as she looked around the foyer and first-floor hallways of Mercy Hall, Lauralton’s administration building. “I have such great memories from this school.”
To give others the same opportunity as Katie received, tickets for the $100,000 tuition raffle were sold the day of the duck race at Fowler Pavilion, as show by this photo of volunteer parent Dawn Gepfert of Fairfield.
Just 3,000 tickets are being sold for the raffle, with the winning ticket being drawn at 7:30 p.m. May 21, 2008, on the Lauralton campus. The winner does not need to be present to win.
Tickets can be purchased at the school at 200 High St., Milford, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. with cash, check or credit card. Or, call (203) 877-2786, ext. 143 to order by telephone, or to request a raffle ticket order form.
Tickets will also be sold at two area malls:
* On Saturday, May 10, at the Westfield Trumbull mall near Playtown on the upper level in the Lord & Taylor court area
* On Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, at the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall outside of Strasburg Children on the upper level.
Although the raffle is being held as a fund-raiser for Lauralton Hall, the fact that the prize can be used for any student to attend any accredited school makes it an exciting community event.
“We view the raffle as a great way to support both Lauralton’s mission and education in general,” Mrs. Griffin said. “We hope it might help someone go to a school he or she could not have otherwise afforded, offering a really golden opportunity.”
The winner has up to four years to name the student or students who will receive the tuition funding, which may include the winner himself, family members or friends. The winner may also choose to view the raffle prize as a philanthropic opportunity, requesting that a specific educational institution recommend appropriate students to receive the award.
Although the winnings need to be spent over four consecutive years, payments do not need to commence until the student or students are ready to use the funds. That means depending on who wins the raffle, the funds may be used right away or held for several years.
If Katie wins and her parents decide to allocate the money for college, they’ll be looking to use the funds after she graduates high school as a member of the Class of 2019.
“Katie has an exciting future ahead of her, and the time will probably fly,” quipped Mary Elizabeth.