Land Raffle To Help Troops

by Breanna Fuss, Reporter
October 24, 2012 9:15 PM


 A unit of The South Dakota Air National Guard is coming home in a month. In May, they were deployed to the Middle East for ‘Operation Enduring Freedom.’ To help them have a smooth transition back into civilian life, land is being raffled to give them a little get-a-away.  

It’s 80 acres of land just north of Sioux Falls going for $1,000 a ticket.
   
"It's for the soldiers and their core support people,” said Dave Baumeister, from Preventative Health Strategies.
 
And it’s being raffled off to send the 114th Fighter Wing Security Force Squadron of the South Dakota Air National Guard on a special trip to Alaska.   
 
All of the proceeds go to a deep sea fishing trip for soldiers and their family's to help them reconnect after deployment.

"Families are broken, they've been apart. And integrating their lives and restarting their journey after they've been deployed and are back, they need a hand up,” said Dr. Annette Bosworth, the land owner.
 
Dr. Annette Bosworth from Preventative Health Strategies said she doesn’t want soldiers ‘taking to Jack Daniels’ like in the past.

So she decided to raffle off half of her family’s hunting land to raise money for her non-profit organization. Hoping to raise enough money to give the 40 soldiers in the unit, a welcome home gift.

“ Nobody realizes how much it really impacts families, and then how easy it is to really get them out of the rut if you help them early,” said Bosworth.

By next month, when the soldiers return home, the goal is to have sold 500 tickets.

Once they are sold, all tickets will go into a drawing, and may the luckiest person win.       
      
“That $1,000 is going to go to the heroes that have supported this country and continue to support this country,” said Baumeister.

“Troops come home and they've done an amazing job for our country. What this trip is meant to do is say thank you, by taking you and your family members on Alaskan Trip in a way to reconnect those relationships now that you are home,” said Bosworth.

It’s just one-way of saying thanks for the sacrifices made, while serving our country.
     
As of Wednesday, only half a dozen tickers were sold, and they need to sell them all to be able to send the soldiers and their family’s on the trip.

For more information you can go to the raffle’s website .