ORILLIA, ON – Christmas arrived early for Catherine Gilmour of Severn when she received a call from the Soldiers’ Foundation letting her know her present is a little more substantial this year.

“I thought someone was calling me as a joke,” Gilmour said, when she was informed that she won the Soldiers’ 50/50 November jackpot worth $19,465. “Not a bad way to begin Christmas,” she continued.

Gilmour plans to treat her loved ones at Christmas and will also be vacationing in St. Maarten to trade in the winter snow for tropical sands and beaches. True to the holiday spirit of giving, Gilmour has another more personal wish she wants to fulfil.

In August, Catherine’s father passed away in Palliative Care at a long term care facility and she plans to donate funds to Dying with Dignity Canada. “When I went through that I said ‘There’s got to be changes,’ so part of the money is going to go there,” she said.

Catherine also noted that before undergoing knee surgery, she volunteered at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, having seen her mother volunteer at hospitals too. “If I couldn’t be there volunteering now, I thought doing the raffle would be a way of giving something back,” she said.

Soldiers’ 50/50 raffle is a monthly occurrence in support of the Hospital’s greatest needs and purchasing essential medical equipment. For the month of December, there are three early bird draws on Dec. 8, 15 and 22 worth a guaranteed $500 with the grand prize being drawn on Dec. 31. To learn more about emerging areas of greatest need at Soldiers’ or to purchase tickets, please visit Soldiers5050.ca.