LAWTON – More than 30 nonprofits are reaping benefits from the generosity of Legend Driven Auto Group. Legend Driven is helping the charities raise money during the COVID-19 pandemic that has dried up most revenue-generating events.
The nonprofits, which include schools, churches, the Boys & Girls Club and Lawton’s Arts for All, are selling $10 raffle tickets so one lucky person can win a car from Legend Auto Group on Dec. 21. All proceeds from the raffle go directly to the nonprofits, said auto group General Manager David Dunn.
In addition to the car, two other lucky people will win $1,000 and $500 during the drawing. The nonprofit that sells the most tickets will receive $5,000.
“These groups can’t put on their typical events because of the COVID-19 virus,” Dunn said. “So, any nonprofit can participate in this. This is an opportunity for the nonprofits to make some mon- ey without spending any money. If a nonprofit sells $5,000 worth, they receive the $5,000. We print all of the tickets and they just tell us how many they need.”
Ticket sales will end Dec. 15. In one instance, a local AMBUCS chapter had one person buy their initial 150 tickets, Dunn said.
“So, they came back for more. I am so fired up about this. I would like to see all of them raise a combined $200,000. There was one nonprofit that raised $100,000 in one event so this is helping them regain some of that lost revenue,” he said. “These are unique times, but we want to establish this as an annual event.”
Sterling Public Schools have latched onto the fundraiser in a big way, selling about 3,000 tickets.
“They are well on their way,” Dunn said. Meanwhile, Arts for All Executive Director Bobbi Matchette sees the raffle as an opportunity to regain money that’s been lost due to the pandemic.
“We were hurting,” she said. “This (fundraiser) is wonderful and we are most grateful to have some income. We had cancelled two big events that brought in $100,000. We appreciate getting to keep all of the money from the sales.”
Typically, funds are raised with an individual fund drive in February, an outdoor fine arts festival in May, a fine arts gala in October and grant writing. Arts for All allocates money to six member groups which are Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, Lawton Community Theater, Southwest Oklahoma Opera Guild, Wichita Wildlight Photographic Society, Lawton Pro Musica and the Lawton-Fort Sill Art Council. In addition, The Friends of the Lawton Public Library, Inc., and Blue Moon Productions, Inc., are affiliate member groups.
Arts for All and its member groups have become the major provider of art opportunities in the Lawton area. AFA provides the community with symphony, theater, visual arts, opera, vocal music and photographic arts. Arts for All works to provide art programs to area schools at no cost, reaching about 14,000 students in the Lawton and Cache schools, Matchette noted.
“The efforts by AFA groups greatly improve the quality of life in Lawton and bring a wide variety of art to tens of thousands of adults and children who might not otherwise experience it,” she said.