Best of ‘Luck’ from SV Rotary

The Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley has launched ticket sales for the annual Luck o’ the Irish Raffle, with 100% of the raffle proceeds go towards the club’s grants to local education and nonprofit groups.

The grand prize is $10,000, and four additional ticket holders will win $500 each.  Raffle tickets are $50 each and can be purchased from any Sonoma Valley Club Rotarian.

Last year, the Club awarded over $80,000 in grants to local groups, including Altimira Middle School, the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley, Cancer Support Sonoma, F.I.S.H., Flowery Elementary School, Grupo Folklorico Quetzalen, Homeless Action Sonoma, the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, and Sonoma Overnight Support. 

“The Luck o’ the Irish Raffle is our largest fundraiser of the year,” said Jim Carruthers, club president. “It’s the engine that drives our commitment since 1946 to making our Sonoma Valley community a little bit better for the people who live, work, or visit here,”

The raffle ticket drawing will be held during the club’s Luck o’ the Irish Dinner on March 17 at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall.  The dinner will feature a traditional Irish corn beef meal with all the trimmings, a silent auction, music provided by The Shots String Band, dancing, and other entertainment. 

The public is invited, and dinner tickets can be purchased on the club’s website at www.sonomavalleyrotary.org.  Raffle ticket holders do not need to be present at the dinner to win. 

Sponsors for this year’s Luck o’ the Irish raffle and dinner include Edward Jones Financial Advisor Gary Scott, Sonoma Clean Power, and TerraVesco.  Additional sponsorships are available. 

“We are so very grateful for the generosity of our local businesses to help us make this year’s raffle and dinner a fundraising success,” said Lori Rukes, the club’s fundraising chair.

New for this year, the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley is partnering with the Girls and Boys Club of Sonoma Valley, the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, and Kid Scoop News to host a Leprechaun Hunt for Kids the week of March 4.  Kids will look for leprechauns at participating local businesses in Sonoma and win prizes for finding them all.  “This whimsical activity promises to be a delightful experience for children and families alike,” added Rukes.

• Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley raised about $1 million in money, food, and clothing after the 2017 fires here in Sonoma for victims and first responders. We also raised another $250,000 for the Paradise Rotary club to help their community after their 2018 wildfire.
• When Covid struck, Catalyst Fund asked us to match their $100,000 to help mitigate financial challenges brought by Covid. Local businesses received grants totaling $200,000.
• Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley recently bought new ovens for the Vet’s Building (with our raffle money) that were used to roast Thanksgiving turkeys (that we helped buy with raffle money) for anyone who wanted a holiday meal. In past years we bought restaurant-quality kitchens for Sonoma Valley Grange and the Community Center, too.
• You likely saw us on weekends before Christmas ringing the bells in front of Safeway to raise thousands of dollars for Friends in Sonoma Helping. We’re there every year.

• Sonoma Overnight Support got a new washer and dryer.
• Homeless Action Sonoma got money for construction materials for a dog run.
• Grupo Folklorico Quetzalen received money for new costumes.
• Sonoma Community Center got a new silk screen printer for youth art programs.