A win for restoring a classic home.

Mario Ciuffreda and Lisa Hargreaves were working from home during a snowstorm when the call came in. When told they’d won Grand Prize #3 – a Ford F-50 and ATV package – Mario rolled his eyes: “With all the scams nowadays, we totally didn’t believe it was real.” 

He continues: “We were given a number and contact name at Heart & Stroke. I called and talked to the representative, who sent me a confirmation email. That’s when I said to Lisa, ‘Oh my god. We DID win.’”

Since both drive older vehicles, the Grand Prize adventure duo was tempting, but having recently purchased one of the first homes built in Omemee, Ontario, they chose the cash: “There’s a lot of work to do. The win took away the stress of ‘where are we getting the money from?’” Adds Lisa, “We feel very, very fortunate.” 

With both his father and Lisa’s mother having had heart attacks, Mario has been buying tickets for the past decade, which he’ll continue doing: “You’re playing to win, sure, but with the money going to research, sometime in the future you could be helping to save my life, or I could be saving yours.”