(rdnewsNOW/ Ian Gustafson)

By Ian Gustafson

Giving back

Rotary Club of Red Deer Sunrise presents cheque to winner of Westerner Days 50/50

Jul 25, 2025 | 1:52 PM

The Rotary Club of Red Deer Sunrise announced the winner of its Westerner Days 50/50 draw on Friday.

Sylvan Lake resident Calisia Payne was the lucky winner after purchasing a ticket during Westerner Days and took home $37,587.

She said they found out they won after checking her ticket online but didn’t believe it at first.

“It was unbelievable,” she said. “We were jumping up and down because we were so excited… We double checked it a few times to make sure it was right.”

They plan to invest some of it and maybe use the rest of the money for a vacation or for her children.

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“This is the most money we’ve ever won. We thought we were probably not going to win but we buy it every year. This time it worked out,” she added.

Jeffrey Dawson chairperson of the raffle said they were able to sell $75,175 worth of tickets during Westerner Days.

He explained the other half of the grand total is not kept by the club but rather dispersed to seven local charities including the Westerner Park Foundation, Sendero Centre, Care for Newcomers, Youth HQ, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Canadian Ski Patrol, and Family Services of Central Alberta.

Currently in it’s fifth year, the Westerner Days 50/50 is the Rotary Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

“The whole premise behind Rotary is to provide service and raise money. We never keep any of it. Everything we make we donate back to the causes that are a part of our core beliefs including youth, seniors, and global programs as well,” Dawson said. “We’d love to see people come back out and buy tickets again next year.”