'I never thought it would happen to me,' says SAHF 50/50 winner

Thessalon native Christine Baranyai-Withers has won the Sault Area Hospital Foundation's 50/50 draw of $158,140, a news release issued by the Sault Area Hospital Foundation stated.

"You always dream about winning, but I never thought it would happen to me," Baranyai-Withers said. 

Full text of the release follows:

On November 30th at 11 am, Christine Baranyai-Withers of Thessalon, ON won the $158,140 jackpot in the Sault Area Hospital Foundation’s (SAHF) November electronic and online 50/50 draw. Her lucky number (Y-1104541) was drawn electronically.

Christine, a local teacher, was on her lunch break when she realized she had a voicemail. She called the number back, only to find out she had just won over $158,000! “I was in complete shock. It’s hard to grasp,” Christine said about realizing she’d won. “We believe in supporting our community. Buying these tickets is a really easy way to help our local hospital. We know in the North we have to come together to make things like this happen, so that’s why we bought and are going to continue to buy. You always dream about winning, but I never thought it would happen to me!”

Christine hopes the extra money will help make the holiday season special this year. “We are going to save some money, pay down some loans and do a renovation or two, but we really we hope to do something special this year. My husband and I can buy each other something that wouldn’t normally make the list, and our family can make a donation to one of the charities close to our heart. We are going to celebrate!” said Christine. “I just really hope we can take a trip someday soon; Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia, or somewhere in Europe. This win is going to make that possible”

This draw marked the 25th consecutive monthly draw for SAHF 50/50. “We launched this draw in November of 2019, so this was the third time we were able to give away a large cash prize to a lovely family as they head into their holiday season. It’s always a nice feeling,” said Teresa Martone, Executive Director, Sault Area Hospital Foundation. “Our team gets so much joy, hearing why people support our hospital and how dedicated our ticket purchasers are. So many of them are buying because they want to ensure we have outstanding healthcare in our community. And that’s just what they’re doing! Proceeds from these draws have purchased millions of dollars in medical equipment, and will help purchase millions more. That’s all because of the people who support the draw each month.”

Also in November, SAHF awarded Sue Rebellato of Sault Ste. Marie, ON, $10,000 in the early bird draw. Her lucky number was Y-6290883. The $10,000 early bird continues in December as a bonus for all purchasers who buy their tickets before December 10th at 2 PM.

With over $4.2 million in prizes awarded so far, SAHF is excited to end the year right. December’s draw is on New Years Eve, and will surely help the lucky winner or winners start 2022 off right! Tickets for the SAHF 50/50 December draw are on sale now. Sales close on December 30th at 9 PM, and the draw will be held on December 31st at 11AM. SAHF 50/50 tickets can be purchased by anyone 18+ years old within the province of Ontario at www.soo5050.ca.

On behalf of the entire community, thank you to all who continue to support. When our hospital purchases equipment like this, we all win.