The Auto Lotto

This is our squadron’s sixth year participating in this program.   The prizes are unbelievable.  These are will listed below and once they are released when you see them I am certain you will agree.

Good luck to all of you!

What is The Auto Lotto?
It is a yearly fundraising initiative from the Ontario Provincial Committee consisting of raffle tickets.   It is officially called the OPC (Ontario Provincial Committee) Lottery.  However, we have nicknamed it the “Auto Lotto” because the main prizes consist of automobiles.  It has been a major means for fundraising in the Ontario region for many years.

What are the prizes?
The prizes can vary over the years but the principle is the same.  Grand prize and 2nd grand prize is a car.  There are many other cash prizes as well which vary from $750 – $7500.  This year (2017-20187) the prizes are:

PLEASE NOTE THE 2019/2020 prizes have not yet been release this will be updated as soon as that information becomes available.

1st grand prize
Choice of one of two vehicles
One 2018 JEEP Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4×4 @ $49,700 MSRP, all taxes included
Or One 2018 JEEP Cherokee (FWD Limited) @ $49,700 MSRP, all taxes included.

2nd Grand Prize
Choice of one of two vehicles
One 2018 JEEP Renegade North (4×4) @ $38,200 MSRP, all taxes included
Or One 2018 JEEP Compass North FWD @ $38,200 MSRP, all taxes included

3rd Grand Prizes
5 prizes of $7,600 each
Residual prizes
18 prized of $760 cash each

When is the draw?

The draw date is Thursday April 19, 2018. The winners will be called within 10 days of the draw.
Please make sure all stubs clearly include your phone number including the area code.

What is expected from the cadet?

If the cadet chooses to sell the raffle tickets over providing a $80 donation;

This cadet will be asked to sell 2 booklets of raffle tickets. Each ticket is valued at $5.00 and each booklet holds 12 tickets for a total of $60 per booklet or $120 for both booklets.

Cadets must ask the purchasers to completely fill each stub as indicated, tear off and provide the raffle information portion of the tickets to the purchaser.

Payments can be made by cash or cheque, payable to “872 Kiwanis Kanata Air Cadet Squadron”.

NEVER remove the stubs from the cardboard attachment.

stub

The completed stubs, still attached to the cardboard, are to be returned the SSC at any Parade night but must be returned by Feb. 7, 2018 in order for their tickets to get registered.

What is expected from the parents?

We will be distributing the booklets at the start of the cadet season and will be asking each family to choose between making an $80 donation (with tax receipt) or sell raffle tickets.

If you choose to sell the tickets, you will be asked to provide a deposit of $120 per cadet for the value of the raffle tickets at that time. You may give the deposit in the form of cash, check or credit. Cash and check are our preferred methods of payment in order to avoid losing money to credit card fees. When the cadet sells all of their tickets, they need only return the stubs and the money from the sales stays at home thus reimbursing you the deposit. We ask for the deposit as a means of ensuring that the Squadron is not on the hook for lost books.

We would also like the parents to encourage their cadet to seek opportunities to sell their quota whenever possible.

May I sell outside of Ontario?

Yes! Although these booklets must be sold from Ontario, it is perfectly fine to sell to people residing outside of the province.

I don’t like having my son/daughter selling, what are my options?

In this case, the $80 donation option may be best suited for your family. However, once you provided your deposit, the tickets are essentially yours to do as you wish. You may want to fill in the tickets in your name and hopefully win a new car or some cash. You may also want to give some to friends or family as gifts. If neither of these options are reasonable for your family please feel free to come in and talk with the SSC chair or CO   and we can work together towards a means to ensure your cadet meets their fundraising obligation to the squadron.

I have 3 cadets in the family. This will be hard on the family can we arrange something?

Absolutely! We understand that this is not a small investment we therefore reduced the family quota to either 4 booklets or a donation of $160.

We are flexible. If you have reason to not support this, please talk to our SSC Chair or CO. We are certain a mutual agreement can be made.

Is this mandatory?

You may have been told that being in cadets is free, but really it is not. The funding provided by DND only covers about 25% of the Squadron’s yearly expenses. These expenses include transportation to and from events, rental of the facilities we use for each and every activity and event, food and materials for activities such as FTX (Bush Weekend). The remaining 75% needed to run the program comes from your help through the fundraising activities performed throughout the year.

One major upfront cost to the unit is a mandatory ~$80 per cadet assessment fee that the Squadron has to pay to the Provincial Air Cadet League for every registered cadet. This year, this amounts to over $12,525. A significant portion of this assessment fee goes toward liability insurance, which is a necessity in today’s world.

The Ontario squadrons have been successfully using this lottery to help with this mandatory cost over the years. Since the start of this initiative, we have been able to provide more activities for the cadets including a winter outing, marksmanship, a rocketry program and more.

Every youth who meets the entry requirements will never be refused entry into the Air Cadet program. However, every cadet does have an obligation to the Squadron to help raise funds to cover costs. If a cadet does not meet this obligation and an arrangement cannot be made with the CO and Chair of the Squadron, he/she will not be able to participate in SSC sponsored events.

Where do I pay the $80 donation?
You can make your $80 donation any Wednesday Cadet night with a member of the SSC by cheque, cash or credit card.

How much money from the sales goes to the unit? 

42% of the cost of the booklet comes to the squadron.  This means that for every 2 booklets sold, we will be making $50.

Can I still make a monetary donation?

Absolutely, we are a registered non-profit organization.  Any donation will be happily accepted and a charitable receipt will be provided for your taxation refund.

I have not sold all of my tickets; may I return the unsold tickets?

Unfortunately, In order to participate in the fundraiser, the squadron must commit to purchasing a minimum number of booklets.  We have to pay for these tickets whether they are sold or not.

My son/daughter is leaving cadets, what do I do with the stubs?

Although the majority of cadets, who join, do not leave during the year, for many different reasons, this can happen.  In this case, we ask that you give the stubs to any SSC member on any parade night before Feb 7, 2018. If this is not an option (e.g. you moved) please e-mail 872.chairperson@cadetsair.ca and we will work something out.

Final Note:

We truly feel that this fundraising results in no net financial outlay by each family.  We are always looking for fundraising methods that are fair to all our cadets and their parents while still enabling the participation of all current and new cadets.  We realize that there is no perfect solution when it comes to fundraising and we will make maximum effort to accommodate every family in meeting their obligation for fundraising.

Remember, we all want the same thing, giving our cadets as many opportunities to succeed as possible, and have some fun in the process.

If you have any other questions or concerns please contact the Squadron Sponsoring Committee (SSC):

872.chairperson@cadetsair.ca or 872.treasurer@cadetsair.ca