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So, who wants to go to the Super Bowl?
Me too. But that's expensive, so my plan is going to be to enter this raffle sponsored by the John H. Boner Community Center in Indianapolis and win my trip there. It's going to be so cool (especially since I'm counting on the Broncos beating out the Colts in a playoff meeting and finally avenging last year's playoff loss as well as the most recent one in Indy).
Raffle tickets are $100 each, and the winner of the raffle - which is limited to just 200 tickets total - gets two Super Bowl game tickets, a $1,000-voucher for travel and a three-night stay in a hotel (and if you're not a math whiz, those winning odds are pretty decent!)
And on top of all that awesomeness, money raised goes toward special programming for kids, youth, families and senior citizens in Indianapolis' Near Eastside community that was once a thriving neighborhood but became a rundown, crime-ridden area over the last few decades. But thanks to community efforts - and the NFL - the Near Eastside is recovering.
Aiming to revitalize this area and make it safe, the John H. Boner Community Center built its Chase Near Eastside Legacy Center in 2012 when Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl. With a $1 million donation from the NFL and a community effort to bring in another $10 million, the center was opened and became home to an NFL Youth Education Town, which provides a fitness center, community greenhouse and garden, art studio, computer lab and instructional kitchen to help people in the Near Eastside area thrive.
Because the Colts are not looking like top contenders for the Super Bowl, the center has only sold about half of the 200 available raffle tickets. Therefore, organizers are opening up their promotional reach and offering tickets to football fans outside of Indy (just a hunch, but I'm betting Colts fans would much prefer to see a fan of Peyton Manning's team win the raffle over say, a fan of that team in Foxborough).
If you're interested in getting in on this great opportunity to go to the Super Bowl and put your money toward a good cause, you must send in a check or money order along with contact information to the Legacy Center, and Melissa Benton will send you the raffle tickets plus information on tax deduction for your donation.
You do not need to be present to win (Because this is a non-profit organization and it is a raffle, the Indiana Gaming Commission regulates it and requires cash or check, so PayPal and GoFundMe are not available options for buying the tickets).
Checks must be received one week before the raffle that is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016. Make checks payable to the John H. Boner Community Center and send to:
John H. Bonner Community Center
Attn: Melissa Benton, resource development director
2236 East 10th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46201
If you would like to check with Benton for more details, she can be reached at mbenton@jhbcc.org or 317-808-2363.