Raffle Winner Taken By Surprise

By Mark Ribble

Friday August 5 is a day that Jamie Poisson will remember for the rest of her life.

That was the day she got the call from the seven members of the Hogs for Hospice Board, who had gathered through a conference call to give her some good news.

“I thought it was a phone scam,” she said. “That was followed by disbelief.”

On the other end of the line, the Hogs Board, led by Joe Oswald, was asking Jamie if she knew of any reason that they would be discussing her name.

Once it became apparent that she was the big winner of the 50-50 draw, the group all discussed how it would change things for Jamie and her family.

Just before they hung up, she asked one last question.

“How much was it again?” she asked.

As they repeated the number ($587,125), she couldn’t believe her ears.

“The last she checked, it was at $80,000,” said Oswald, as he handed her the cheque this past Monday at Erie Shores Hospice.

“This truly changes our lives,” said Jamie. “We have five kids at home between

us and this makes things much easier.”

She and her fiancé Justin have now been able to set a wedding date, something they hadn’t been able to do before the big win.

She also bought a brand new Chrysler Pacifica, which she picked up Tuesday.

She was in the bedroom folding laundry when the call came, and although she stayed somewhat composed during that call, she says she was a bundle of tears when she started calling her family.

“I don’t think anyone understood what I was saying,” she said.

In the midst of making those calls, she received another call from Joe Oswald, prompting her to answer with, “You’re not calling to say you made a mistake, are you?”

Joe laughed and said he just needed to get some more information that had been forgotten in the excitement of the first call.

For now, they are going to use some of the money for the new vehicle and a deposit on their wedding venue, but Jamie says it’s best to sit on the rest and take time to make any life-altering decisions.

Jamie Poisson (middle) is flanked by the Hogs Board, from left, Benji Mastronardi, Dave Hodare, Joe Oswald, Tim Iles, Donny Pacheco and Brian Cornies. Board member Kevin Saffrance was unable to make it.

The $587,125 far eclipses the previous high amount of $120,170 won by Gary Lauzon in the first Hogs draw in 2020.

Oswald says the whole thing played out like a dream.

“We were all watching in amazement as the amount just kept growing,” he said of the committee.

Of course, the other big winner is Erie Shores Hospice, which receives the other $587,125 of the ticket sales proceeds and that’s what it’s all about.

“We have the most incredible supporters and followers,” he said. “Over 1,500 strangers all reached out to Jamie on Facebook to congratulate her. That’s special.”

“We already knew our supporters were special, but this just brings it home,” he added.

Jamie — who was on the receiving end of those well wishes — eventually had to turn her phone off. “It was going off every few seconds,” she said. “It was amazing.”