Grand prize winners of the 2017 STARS lottery were announced on Thursday morning.
Stuart Wilson of Wetaskiwin, Don Cook of Edmonton, Robert Kohlman of Calgary and Graeme Langford of Edmonton were the winners of the four dream homes located in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge.
Cook, was thrilled and emotional to learn he had won the $973,979 house in his home city.
“We’ve seen some tough times and needed a new place to live in by July, so this win is unbelievable,” Cook said in a press release. His son Matt passed away from cancer seven years ago and Cook started a foundation in his memory to help other young adults fighting the disease.
“I’ve been a firefighter for 34 years, along with my son Brady and we have landed STARS on several occasions. We have met former STARS patients that may have not survived if they had not been airlifted.”
The STARS lottery continues to be the non-profit’s single largest source of funding in Alberta finishing strong at 99.7 per cent sold and raised approximately $12 million for the non-profit. A third of the STARS total budget comes from the lottery.
“With your steadfast support, this year’s edition of the STARS lottery ended on a very successful note. Thank you, Alberta for supporting STARS as you have for more than three decades,” said Andrea Robertson president and CEO of STARS. Earlier this year they were a bit behind their goal for the lottery. “Seeing this response in the face of such a challenging economic climate is truly remarkable and is testament to the resolve of Albertans and their continued support for our mission.”
Other top prize winners include:
Lucky STARS 50/50 winner - $1.55 million Dan and Audrey Grover of Endiang
Early bird winner $50,000 -Deb Giroux of Alberta Beach
Early bird winner 2017 RAM 2500 Crew Cab 4x4 and Arctic Fox 28F Travel Trailer -Derby Baste of Spruce Grove
2017 Audi A4 Technik Quattro - Edwin Wiebe of Coaldale
2017 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 4MATIC - Dianne Leaf of Three Hills
2017 Chevrolet Cruze LT- Mike Conroy of Red Deer
A complete list of winners will be posted on April 18, 2017 at starslotteryalberta.ca