One extraordinarily lucky Pahrump Valley resident is $11,000 richer following the Pahrump Valley Rotary Club’s 2018 Cash Extravaganza, an annual fundraiser that regularly draws huge crowds and, with thousands of dollars up for grabs, plenty of attention.
It was no different on Sunday, Oct. 21 when nearly 200 patrons gathered together to celebrate Rotary and all the good work it does while simultaneously generating funding to keep the nonprofit going strong.
Held at the Pahrump Nugget Events Center, the Rotary Club Cash Extravaganza included food, door prizes, raffles, auctions and an abundance of fun for all.
The theme was movie villains and attendees had a ball dressing to the motif. The atmosphere was one of lighthearted delight overflowing with camaraderie as attendees chatted and laughed, all while awaiting the fateful moment when the ticket for the huge cash drawing would be pulled.
Each year Rotary puts a cap of 400 tickets on the raffle for the $10,000 cash prize, with Rotary officials reporting that this year 370 of those tickets were sold. Many bought multiple tickets to increase their chances and several also made sure to buy theirs early in order to qualify for the $1,000 bonus.
In the end, the lucky lady who walked away with the money was Janet Lubera, Rotary President Barbara Thompson detailed. Lubera had purchased her winning ticket before September 15, so in addition to the $10,000 prize, Lubera received the bonus as well, bringing her winnings to $11,000.
In addition to the main feature of the event, there were other raffle prizes and silent auction items for Cash Extravaganza patrons to score. In all, 43 raffles prizes were donated by Rotarians, friends of the Rotary Club by Pahrump area merchants, along with 42 silent auction items, which alone brought in $3,600. Thompson said the event brought in an estimated $20,000 for the Rotary Club.
“I think that the afternoon went quite well. We stuck to the time frame and finished on time, raising a lot of money,” Thompson stated. “This is our only fundraiser other than a few festivals we join in throughout the year.
“Our funds are used to build wheelchair ramps, fund scholarships, teacher mini-grants, Random Acts of Kindness, help with power bills, send high school and junior high students to leadership camp, help fund an international project, help Desert Haven Animal Society, provide hot dogs at Remote Area Medical and Desert View Hospital’s Back to School Health Fair, help rid the world of polio. Most of our funds go right back into our community one way or another.”
Those wishing to get involved in this community-service-oriented organization is more than welcome to join the club or send along whatever donations they can, Thompson said.
“Readers can get involved with Rotary by attending one of our meetings. Our calendar is listed on our Facebook page, Pahrump Valley Rotary, and our website at www.PVRotaryclub.org,” Thompson said. “We are always glad to take donations at P.O. Box 883, Pahrump, NV 89041. If you know of someone in need we may be able to help, let us know through any of our avenues.”
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com