Hispanic Liaison’s Hispanic Heritage raffle raises over $5,000
By VICTORIA JOHNSON
SILER CITY — The Hispanic Liaison’s Hispanic Heritage raffle raised $5,200 in donations and gave away nine prizes, including the top prize, a Nintendo Switch, and a “surprise.”
The Liaison held the raffle at 8 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Chatham Rabbit Cafe courtyard and via Facebook Live with Mexican-American artist Antonio Alanís. It formed part of a reception the organization co-hosted with the N.C. Arts Incubator in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which ended that same day. The free reception began at 6 p.m. and offered music curated by DJ César Merlos, plus refreshments. About 35 people attended.
“It was fun,” the Liaison’s executive director and founder, Ilana Dubester, told the News & Record. She added with a laugh, “We had a great salsa lesson that night — salsa (and) bachata — and DJ César Merlos got the party dancing, which is very cute.”
With help from volunteers and local businesses, the nonprofit sold hundreds of tickets both in person and online. All funds will go toward supporting the Liaison’s work across the four counties it serves — Chatham, Alamance, Randolph and Lee.
The raffle gave away eight scheduled prizes, plus one surprise. The grand prize was a Nintendo Switch. Other prizes included $200 in cash, two weekend passes to the Shakori Hills music festival in Silk Hope for May 2022, a chocoflan cake with 20 servings made by Elena Gonzalez as well as a cloth hammock hand-crafted by Ana Huezo.
The winners were:
• Victor Vazquez, who won the Nintendo Switch
• Lizzy Preciado, who won $200 in cash
• Chatham Rabbit owner Brooke Simmons, who won two weekend passes to the Shakori Hills Music Festival for the second time
• Deisi Rocha, who won the Princess House mandolin donated by Liaison volunteer Guadalupe Tavera
• Pablo Avendano, who won the brand new Air Fryer PowerXL 8 qt donated by long-time volunteer Juan Carlos Gonzalez
• Molly Matlook, who won the chocoflan cake
• Stacey Anders, who won the hammock
• Carmen Lucila Preciado Lopez, who won a 3’ by 2’ Mexican painting and ceramic pitcher donated by La Guadalupana de Siler City, a Hispanic-owned shop on Raleigh Street
• Diane Kirkman, who won the “surprise prize,” or a bracelet and ring donated by one of the Liaison’s clients.
The Liaison contacted all winners last week. If winners don’t respond or pick up their prizes within the next couple of weeks, the Liaison will re-raffle the remaining prizes. For more information, visit the Hispanic Liaison’s Facebook page or website at www.hispanicliaison.org.
