Draw boosts Hall of Fame cause
Aaron Sargeant picks up Dodge Journey won in annual vehicle draw that raised $30K
A local man showed his excitement after he was handed the keys for the cheapest car he’s ever owned.
Aaron Sargeant won a new 2017 Dodge Journey SUV from a $20 ticket his father bought him for the Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame annual vehicle draw.
Sargeant said his father’s been buying tickets for him and his brother for 10 years now. This year, the winner said he picked out his ticket specifically for its number.
“It had sort of a combination of my birthday and my daughter’s birthday on it,” he said. “Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket, you never know.”
Sargeant said the new SUV was a timely surprise as he was just about to start shopping for an improvement to his beat-up 2003 Honda Pilot.
“Glad to be a winner,” he said. “Glad to support the sports hall of fame as well.”
Ken Ruttan, chairman of the hall, said ticket sales for the draw are limited to 3,000 and proceeds are used for operation expenses of the hall.
The Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit corporation operating within the Memorial Centre. It was founded in 1980 to honour the names of sports legends from the community.
Thehallcontainsmorethan10,000 items of sports memorabilia dating as far back as the mid-1800s.
The car draw is the main fundraiser for maintaining the hall, said Ruttan, and ticket sales start in the middle of November. The draw raised about $30,000 this year, he said.
“We don’t have to go to the city Aaron Sargeant, the 2017 Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame vehicle draw winner, receives the keys to his new Dodge Journey SXT vehicle with hall chairman Ken Ruttan on Wednesday Mat Kawartha Chrysler on Lansdowne St. W. for money, we raise our own,” said Ruttan. “All our employees are volunteers, no one is paid.”
Ruttan has been chairing the fundraiser for 11 years now. He said he was “thrilled” to see Sargeant being handed the keys to the new car.
“He says he’s going to buy a ticket for next year,” Ruttan laughed. “You’re guaranteed not to win if you don’t have a ticket you know.” PepsiCo Canada has become a lead sponsor of the Trent Excalibur Green and White Scholarship Fund with a contribution of $15,000 annually, for a five-year period, Trent Athletics announced Wednesday. Excalibur Green and White Scholarships are offered to entering varsity student-athletes who have achieved an average above 80 per cent and have been recruited for athletics skills and abilities, according to a release from Trent University. PepsiCo Canada, which operates the Quaker Oats plant in Peterborough, has been a long-standing supporter of Trent Athletics. The company first announced the commitment during the 48th Trent Athletics Awards banquet on March 21. “We thank PepsiCo Canada, and its employees, for their immeasurable support of the Excalibur varsity program,” stated Deborah BrightBrundle, director, athletics and recreation at the university. “The benefits of this expanded partnership will support Trent Athletics ability to recruit the best and brightest student-athletes.” “We are honoured to play a role in the development of Trent’s athletes through the Trent Excalibur Green and White Scholarship Fund,” stated Robert Foy, vice-president, food service, PepsiCo Canada. “We hope this scholarship will empower and inspire Trent’s athletes to make their athletic ambitions a reality.” People can contribute to the scholarship fund at https:// mycommunity.trentu.ca/giving/ draft-an-athlete.