REGINA – The Hospitals of Regina Foundation have announced their top winners for its 2024 Fall Home Lottery, and they all have big reasons to smile today.
Included as the top prize was the $1.4 million grand prize package, including a showhome located at 4147 Fieldstone Way in The Creeks neighbourhood of Regina, as well as $25,000.
The winner of that grand prize is Leona Baun of Pilot Butte, who shares her winning ticket with her husband Bruce and sister Sherry Langston.
Baun said she learned that she had won by watching the announcement take place on TV.
“So last night, when we were sitting at home watching TV, I had my cell phone in my hand to phone my sister and let her know who the winner was, and they said my name,” Baun said.
“And honest to goodness, I’m just jumping for joy, and we’re going crazy in the house, my husband, her and their daughter was there too, and I literally dropped the phone on the floor, and it smashed a bit of the glass, and picked it up later. I didn’t care.
“And then it’s starting to go off, and there’s the phones are going crazy, and you just don’t anticipate you’re going to win. And this is just so overwhelming, and so happy, and the house is beautiful. It’s the first time we’ve seen it.”
Leona and Sherry had been regular purchasers of the home lottery tickets over the years.
“I’ve been purchasing it a lot with my sister who has been a co-winner on these tickets as well, and a combination of her and I, and with friends, and with my place of employment. We’ve won a few times different prizes, it’s been wonderful. And it’s one of those things where you anticipate that you know you’re going to buy, and you’re going to make a donation to the cause because it’s so wonderful, but you don’t anticipate you’re going to win.”
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation raises money from the lottery proceeds to help support hospitals in Regina. Recently those funds have gone to pediatric programs, technology and fixtures at the Regina Urgent Care Centre, and upgrading one of the catheterization labs at Regina General Hospital.
Baun and her family had pointed to a personal connection to the Lottery: they had gone through a medical crisis this year, and Sherry herself is a first responder.
“You never know when you’re going to be affected,” Sherry said. “I will put it in here just because I am a medical first responder in my community, and yeah, you never know when you need the equipment that might have been bought. You never know when you need STARS. You never know how or when somebody you know is going to be impacted, so it’s such a good cause to donate to, whether you win or whether you don’t.”
The family members were there for the prize announcement, and they are clearly impressed with the spacious multilevel grand prize home. It comes fully furnished with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a home office.
“It’s just wonderful to be able to share with our entire family,” Leona said.
“They just mean so much to us, and when they first came into the house and saw it with awe, and the stunning remarks, and just the work, and the magnificent workmanship, and craftsmanship that’s gone into this home, and then to see them go downstairs, and when they saw that gym, they lit up. They’ve claimed bedrooms already. It’s just been incredible. It’s such a blessing. It’s just amazing.”
Those were were not the only big winners, as there was plenty of big-ticket prizes to go around.
The $775,000 Echo Lake Cottage Early Bird prize package, which included the cottage and $10,000, was won by Shirley Beblow of Regina, who was on hand to claim her prize.
The 50/50 winner was Monique Dumaine of Storthoaks, who takes home a big payout of her own of $524,037.50.
The membership loyalty prize of $10,000 went to Doug Pomfret of Regina. And the Cash Calendar Early Bird prize of $25,000 went to Aggrey Fynn of Regina.
Most of the winners were on hand to personally receive their winning cheques from Dino Sophocleous, President and CEO of Hospitals of Regina Foundation, at the Regina Showhome on Friday morning.
A complete list of winners will be published at hrfHomeLottery.com on Dec. 13. All winners will be notified in writing by MNP about their prize and how to claim it.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated. A previous version of this story had an incorrect spelling of the grand prize winner’s last name.