Private school doles out $1.2 million to raffle winners en route
to raising $1 million
Gilroy – One Sacramento man managed to turn a $150 investment into $1 million thanks to a Mount Madonna School raffle. The contest also made a big winner of the school, which netted more than $1 million in proceeds.
The private school – housed on a 355-acre mountaintop plot in Watsonville – doled out about $1.2 million Saturday to 320 ticket holders in a Dream House Raffle. The top winner, Henry J. Martinez of Sacramento, took home more than $1 million. The school raised an equal amount for itself, despite giving out a total of $141,000 to 319 other winners – including three Gilroyans who won $300 each.
The money is “a relief to us,” said Neal Martin-Zeavy, the school’s raffle coordinator. “Usually we’re in a more hand-to-mouth situation.”
The school used a 30-year, $3 million bond to help fund construction of a $10 million campus finished earlier this year. The school can use the $1 million in raffled proceeds to pay debt on the bond or invest the money and use dividends to pay off the debt’s interest, Martin-Zeavy said. In time, the money will serve as a more permanent endowment, he said.
The school sold 19,137 tickets, short of its goal of 32,000. The school also fell short of the 26,000-benchmark required for the grand prize of a $1.8 million house in Santa Cruz, as originally advertised. Instead, it awarded half the proceeds of the raffle to the grand-prize winner. Despite these changes, school administrators were not disappointed by the participation.
“It was such a unique idea and so novel that we honestly didn’t know what the public response would be, if any,” Martin-Zeavy said. “The fact that we sold over 19,000 tickets to people from 40 states was phenomenal.”
Katrina Garcia Hernandez, a Gilroy real estate agent, said supporting local education – besides “the chance just to win a house in Santa Cruz” – was a deciding factor in buying a $150 raffle ticket.
“It was going to a good cause,” she said. “Anything to give back to the schools.”
Hernandez originally confused the private school for the Gilroy public continuation high school of the same name. This mistake was common, even for raffle participants, Martin-Zeavy said. About 90 percent of the more than 300 people who witnessed the drawing Saturday in the school’s assembly room had never set foot on the campus.
This was proof that the raffle successfully expanded the school’s reach in fundraising, Martin-Zeavy said.
“We usually do very traditional types of fundraisers,” he said. “Obviously it would take a lot of cookies and brownies to raise a million dollars.”
Grand Prize — $1 Million
Henry J. Martinez, Sacramento, CA
Second Prize — $25,000
Kirk Fornoff, El Cerrito, CA
Third Prize — $10,000
John D’Amato, Aptos, CA
Fourth Prize — $5,000
Dana Powers, Fremont, CA
Fifth Prize — $2,000
Sandra Tom-Ouizel, Orinda, CA
$1,000 each
Shannon Peterson, Felton, CA
Barney Elders, Santa Cruz, CA
Michelle Aylsworth, Hayden, ID
Aleta Rafton, Walnut Creek, CA
Elia Lara, Santa Cruz, CA
$500 each
Colin Piotrowski, Pleasanton, CA
David A. Baird, Bremerton, CA
Connie Obespo, Santa Clara, CA
Marc Monte, Aptos, CA
Noah Jackel, Santa Cruz, CA
$300 each
Lawrence Ferrigno, Hillsborough, CA
Michael Lie, San Francisco, CA
Ernest S. Banuelos, Santa Cruz, CA
Jane Ann Keegan, San Rafael, CA
Robert Espinosa, Santa Clara, CA
Rosemarie Heinz, Carmel Valley, CA
Susan M. Cooney, Billerica, MA
Celia McCormack, Gilroy, CA
June Coha, Santa Cruz, CA
Nader Ktait, San Jose, CA
Dong Joo Ha, Los Altos, CA
Angela Azevedo, Santa Clara, CA
Renee Kochevar, Mountain View, CA
Joe Pankratius, Millbrae, CA
Varsha Rangarajan, Woodside, CA
Alexis E Meehan, San Jose, CA
Larry Gulling, Santa Cruz, CA
Barbra Dashler, Oroville, CA
Joyce Urushima, Saratoga, CA
Douglas Eckley, Prunedale, CA
Jeanne Mcmurphy, Sunnyvale, CA
Rafael Rios, San Leandro, CA
John P. Jacobs, Benicia, CA
Martin Strell, Alameda, CA
Marvin Romero, Seaside, CA
Robert Carmody, Aptos, CA
Jana Trizna, Santa Rosa, CA
Eric Grodberg, Santa Cruz, CA
Betty L. Griffith, Watsonville, CA
Karen Weinstein, Newark, CA
Jeri Opalk, San Jose, CA
Jackie Li, South San Francisco, CA
Bob Reese, Carmel, CA
Jaya Dhameja, San Mateo, CA
Catherine Nyznyk, Monterey, CA
Keith Gimbel, Mckinney, TX
Balkar Singh, Bay Point, CA
Mark Maus, Berkeley, CA
Steve Griffin, San Francisco, CA
Michael Pawlik, Watsonville, CA
Cory Hunt, San Jose, CA
Sue Ellen Wise, Lafayette, CA
Thomas Terry, Christoval, TX
Ed Castro, San Jose, CA
Michael Reich, Woodside, CA
Linda Alberti, Berkeley, CA
Mary Basham, Monterey, CA
Bonnie Jean Gibbs, San Francisco, CA
Klare Hidas, Monterey, CA
Robin Davis, Petaluma, CA
Michael Hibpshman, Monterey, CA
Sharon Molinari, San Jose, CA
Laura E Austin, Monterey, CA
Michael Smith, Santa Cruz, CA
Colin Piotrowski, Pleasanton, CA
Lorelei Stapp, Merced, CA
Tom Sorci, San Jose, CA
Sean Dennard, Campbell, CA
Margaretha Ng, Los Altos, CA
Ed Castro, San Jose, CA
Carrie Cummings, Los Gatos, CA
Jo C. Erickson, Citrus Heights, CA
Isonke Solomon Aqua, Castro Valley, CA
Linda Calebotta, Saratoga, CA
Deborah Vantilburgh, Concord, CA
Lynn Solberg, El Dorado Hills, CA
Meete Reese, San Francisco, CA
Bart A. Bixler, Concord, CA
Araceli Ortiz, Freedom, CA
Selia M Davis, Bodega Bay, CA
Robert M Pollock, San Andreas, CA
Chris Filippetti, Santa Rosa, CA
Dorothy L. Crumb, San Jose, CA
Jennie Dusheck, Santa Cruz, CA
Lolita Borja, San Jose, CA
Molly Myall, Capitola, CA
Barnaby Stamm, Watsonville, CA
Joseph Matlak, Berkeley, CA
Gary Hartman, Hollister, CA
Giovanna Lanfear, Lucerne, CA
Robert Agnew Jr., Mountain View, CA
Jianlin Yu, Cupertino, CA
Joan MacDonald, Mountain Veiw, CA
Georganne Chapin, Nyack, NY
Bill Pastorelli, Fair Oaks, CA
Mike Bone, Soquel, CA
David M James, Stockton, CA
Joe Johnson, Santa Cruz, CA
Talal Janbay, Boulder Creek, CA
Don E. Gibson, Albuquerque, NM
E. Tefankjian, San Jose, CA
Will Bright, Santa Cruz, CA
Patricia Denton, San Jose, CA
Christopher Hawksley, Campbell, CA
George Bowman, Pacifica, CA
Amanda Smith, Benicia, CA
Jody Jones, Elverta, CA
Veronica Foster-Rutledge, Foster City, CA
Jenny Wong, San Francisco, CA
Kelly Cuffe, Ben Lomond, CA
Rachel Jubera, San Jose, CA
Thomas McDonald, Lafayette, CA
Paul Carson, Orlando, FL
Robert Zhang, Hayward, CA
Stella Hwang, San Mateo, CA
Brian Yu, San Jose, CA
Lisa Ann Haux, Soquel, CA
Karen Cerney Hill, Sunnyvale, CA
Christina Holston, Pacific Grove, CA
Rich Marinaccio, Redwood City, CA
Elia Lara, Santa Cruz, CA
Lauren Farr, Watsonville, CA
Jeffrey LeBlanc, Daly City, CA
Sarah Great, Soquel, CA
Kathryn Rodrigues, Watsonville, CA
Hung Vuong, Pittsburg, CA
John Ma, Los Gatos, CA
Lexie Bon Durant, Watsonville, CA
Jacqueline Scharff, Mountainview, CA
Norma Santillan, Salinas, CA
Sharon Waterman, Point Richmond, CA
Nicolas Rios, Gonzales, CA
Dennis J. Harris, San Jose, CA
Linda Williamson, Santa Cruz, CA
Eric Zabalaga, San Rafael, CA
Indira Aslan, Carmel, CA
Patrick Stone, Aptos, CA
Gene Sampson, San Jose, CA
Karen Dusek, Monterey, CA
Judith Ikeda, Aptos , CA
Elizabeth Hamilton, Santa Cruz, CA
Kathleen Bennett, San Jose, CA
Alvin Lai, Castro Valley, CA
Barbara Lee Valentine, San Francisco, CA
Sean Griffin, San Fransico, CA
David John Kaufmann, Riverside, CA
Melanie L. Bikis, Oakland, CA
Anna Lee, Seaside, CA
Laura Rubio, Morgan Hill, CA
Sarah Dahlheim, Pleasanton, CA
Ken D Korpi, San Jose, CA
Vilia K. Gilles, Carmel, CA
John E Koenigshofer, Berkeley, CA
Joanna Leith, Sunnyvale, CA
Madelin J Britton, Aptos, CA
Lacy L. Atkinson, San Jose, CA
Sophie Mitchell, South San Francisco, CA
Carla Li, San Francisco, CA
Joel Weise, Burlingame, CA
Peggy Prendergast, San Carlos, CA
Thomas Karwin, Santa Cruz, CA
Jennifer Collins, Montara, CA
Elizabeth Larson, San Francisco, CA
Jerry Vincigeurra, Morgan Hill, CA
Karen Kibler, San Francisco, CA
Collin Tapia, Monterey, CA
Page Honorio, Santa Cruz, CA
Marjanna Rubino, San Jose, CA
Duc Santamaria, San Jose, CA
Gay L. Bargas, Santa Cruz, CA
Marilyn Martin, Vallejo, CA
Yana Arnold, Los Gatos, CA
Margaret Bowman, San Jose, CA
Dorothea M. McCune, Hayward, CA
Efrem R Osio, Pacific Grove, CA
Michelle DeFields-Gambrel, Santa Cruz, CA
Susan Van de Bittner, Moraga, CA
Garrett M. Grant, Aptos, CA
Todd Riddick, Aptos, CA
Ted Sweatt, San Jose, CA
Gustavo Caldarelli, San Rafael, CA
Joyce Assar, Aptos, CA
Martha Iwagaki, Monte Sereno, CA
Jon Pease, Toluca Lake, CA
Dennis Kinoshita, Fremont, CA
Nellrose Graham, Larkspar, CA
Lorena Sneed, San Jose, CA
Santos Dalere, San Francisco, CA
Ron Hamako, Cupertino, CA
Greg Browman, San Rafael, CA
Jennifer Rubin, Santa Cruz, CA
Michelle Aylsworth, Hayden, ID
John Jansheski, San Rafael, CA
Daniel Moreno, Yuba City, CA
Greg King, Morgan Hill, CA
Gordon J. Grether, Watsonville, CA
Alexander Zamora, Tucson, AZ
Rosalie Elliott, Rohnert Park, CA
Scott Kimmel, San Jose, CA
Rebecca Menne, San Jose, CA
Pittsburgh Rub, San Francisco, CA
Steve McGovern, Scotts Valley, CA
Francisco Garza, Aptos, CA
Kimberlee Heldt, Aptos, CA
Peter Sorensen, Santa Cruz, CA
Harold Ake, Alameda, CA
Karen T. Borchers, Santa Cruz, CA
Carol A Brown, San Mateo, CA
Glen Heaviside, San Juan Bautista, CA
John Pratt, Pacifica, CA
John Fierro, Honolulu, HI
Alison Trybom, Santa Cruz, CA
Greg Reed, Hollister, CA
Laika Grant Mann, Santa Cruz, CA
Rebecca Menne, San Jose, CA
Mary Sousa, San Jose, CA
H. Edward Cooner, Gilroy, CA
Sameer Mehdiratta, Cupertino, CA
Fareed Ali, San Francisco, CA
Phil Wenzel, Santa Cruz, CA
Maria Doris Castro, Freedom, CA
Sandi Larsen, Davis, CA
Cindy Lyon, Mountain View, CA
Marjorie J Kern-Marshall, Santa Cruz, CA
William Ellington, San Jose, CA
John Dunne, San Lorenzo, CA
Lauri Avila, San Jose, CA
Chris Johanson, Santa Clara, CA
Jeannette Peterson, Fairfield, CA
Sharon Haney, Salinas, CA
Karey McWilliams, Los Gatos, CA
Rich Fernandez, Santa Cruz, CA
Yvonne Sullivan, San Mateo, CA
Orin Hutchinson, Santa Cruz, CA
Joseph Sylvia, McKinleyville, CA
Rich Millane, San Mateo, CA
Jennice Fishburn, Scotts Valley, CA
John Gonsalves, Santa Clara, CA
Margaret Tragni, San Jose, CA
Dwaine Seiji Katai, San Jose, CA
Angelika Castanon, San Jose, CA
Loreto Ruiz, Watsonville, CA
Lydia R Botsford, San Jose, CA
Jean Breed, Salinas, CA
Joseph Tital, Watsonville, CA
Ellery Horrilleno, San Jose, CA
Amy Colton, Soquel, CA
Daniel Kamalani, Aptos, CA
Karen Sommerfeld, Santa Cruz, CA
Joanna Dilley, Mountain View, CA
Tammy McDonald, Newcastle, CA
Suzie J. Tracy, Aptos, CA
Kati Adams, Felton, CA
Leonard Piotrzkowski, Patterson, CA
Ranelito Solis, San Jose, CA
Susan Palmer, Stockton, CA
Ruthie Hudock-Forrest Crowell, Soquel, CA
Susie Phanton, Santa Cruz, CA
Susan Schendel, Menlo Park, CA
Sandy Cathy, Fairfield, CA
Stephen Roberts, San Jose, CA
Deborah Landauer, Ben Lomond, CA
Thomas C. Brandes, San Jose, CA
William Dietzel, Fresno, CA
Kay Brownfield, Watsonville, CA
Westley C. Lockwood, Watsonville, CA
David Fast, Foster City, CA
Sue Emery, Los Gatos, CA
David Ray Davis, Aptos, CA
Dennis Taku, Santa Cruz, CA
Sue Carruth, San Mateo, CA
Duane Morse, Saratoga, CA
Maureen Moyar, San Bruno, CA
Seanna Cabezut, Capitola, CA
Carol Nolan, Los Gatos, CA
Corin Maxwell-Comfort, Big Sur, CA
Gregory Goodhart, Livermore, CA
Keri Palko, San Francisco, CA
Mark Felber, Soquel, CA
Karen Tyler, San Jose, CA
Bernanrd D. Laffey, Daly City, CA
Ron Deetz, Santa Cruz, CA
Edward J. Juhl, San Jose, CA
David Emery, Idalou, TX
Cindy Garland, Bakersfield, CA
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Lorraine Basurto, Pleasanton, CA
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Scott Anderson, Soquel, CA
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Tomsen Kelly, Santa Cruz, CA
Carmen Hench, San Jose, CA
Katrina Houston, Monterey, CA
Robert B. Caldwell, San Francisco, CA
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Maria E. Barrientos, San Jose, CA
Ivan L. Sucharski, Kirkland, WA
Gerald C Vanoli, Napa, CA
Michael Hoff, Boulder Creek, CA
Concicao Rodrigues, San Jose, CA
Zachry Roberts, Berekely, CA
Steven Bellone, Catroville, CA
Katrina Garcia Hernandez, Gilroy, CA
Donald Dart, San Jose, CA
Dave Wales, Campbell, CA
Mark Block, Aptos, CA
Virgil Martindale, Redwood City, CA
Thomas Freeman, La Selva Beach, CA
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