Photo of woman getting $250,000 cheque, kind of smiling

NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN RED CROSS

*********************** Local Elliot Lake resident wins Red Cross Lottery grand prize

(Sault Ste. Marie, July 7, 2006) – Local Elliot Lake resident Jeannine St. Gelais was presented today with the grand prize of $250,000.

The $250,000 was one of many prizes up for grabs in the Big Red – Ontario lottery of the Canadian Red Cross. Jeannine and her husband Yvon (shown), a retiree from Dennison Mines, have been buying Ontario Red Cross Lottery tickets for several years.

She plans to put the money in the bank and help out her 10 children, 17 grand children and two great grandchildren.

Jeannine and Yvon are very active in their community which they have lived in for 41 years.

This year's prizes included cash, cars, dream vacations and an assortment of electronics.

Grand prizes were $250,000 and $100,000.

Exciting picture of people holding other end of Jeannine's cheque

In addition to the cash prizes, four dream vacations were available for the chance to go anywhere, anytime!

The final draw for the Red Cross lottery was June 26.

A Sault Ste. Marie resident, Jean McWhinney, won a Samsung 42-inch wide-screen TV as one of the many prizes in the lottery.

Proceeds from the Red Cross Lottery go directly to support the programs and services offered by the Red Cross in Ontario.

The Red Cross counts on public donations and the commitment of thousands of volunteers to be there when Canadians are affected by disaster.

The Red Cross responds to thousands of disasters across Canada each year, ranging from house fires to floods and tornadoes.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities or to make a donation, contact your local Red Cross office or visit www.redcross.ca

***********************