‘I was stunned’: Rotaryfest’s $100K winner almost didn’t win

Celebratory drinks were on Leah Malkki.

The long-time Sault Area Hospital employee joined family, friends, and members of the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie at Northern Superior on Tuesday for the biggest ‘Take Your Pick’ cheque presentation in the draw’s history.

Malkki found out she won Rotaryfest’s $100,000 cash prize earlier this month while she was having a bonfire at camp with her family.

“I was stunned,” she told SooToday. “I’ve bought tickets for years and years, but I did not expect at all to win.”

Like she’s done many times in the past, Malkki knew she was going to purchase two tickets this year but contemplated buying a third.

After making the decision to go ahead and purchase three tickets, it was later revealed that it was in fact the third ticket that won her the draw.

“I’m still in shock,” she says. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Malkki is also the first-ever grand prize winner to have purchased the winning ticket online and not in-person.

While she had the option of selecting another prize – a truck and some cash or a truck and a personal watercraft – the grateful grandmother says the decision was an easy one.

“I knew right away I wanted the $100,000,” she says. “We didn’t really need the truck or a Sea-Doo. I guess if you’re going to win then that’s the one.”

Working in a variety of capacities at the hospital for 35 years, Malkki says she’s looking forward to retirement and spoiling her grandkids.

“We have a smaller trailer at camp right now, so I’m going to upgrade to a bigger trailer for my husband Norm and I,” she says. “Then the grandkids can share the trailer that we’ll keep so at least everyone has a nice place to sleep.”

“We also have a couple projects on the go down at camp, so this will help.”

Rotaryfest co-chair Rod Goodall says the draw was a record-setting fundraiser for the local Rotary Club as 21,810 tickets were sold – surpassing the previous high by more than 2,000 tickets.

He says the ‘Take Your Pick’ ticket sales were a testament to how successful Rotaryfest was this year.

“Back in the day, if we didn’t lose much money at Rotaryfest, that was normal because of cost,” he says. “But now we’re making strides with better sponsorship and vendor deals. We know we’re on the profit side this year for the third year in a row, which means we can put more upgrades into next year’s festival.”

The Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie supports a number of local charities year-round including Easter Seals and THRIVE Child Development Centre.