VERSAILLES, Ky. (LEX 18) — Greg Dotson said he started this on a “whim” in 2020, just to see if he could offset some of the despair from the pandemic. Five years later, his Christmas charity raffle is going strong.
“It's so much fun to do this. I get people calling me two months ahead asking, 'When's it going to start, what day,'” he said on Friday, with eight days remaining to buy raffle tickets.
In year one, Dotson brought in $7,600 dollars, after running the raffle for about one week. An anonymous donor got him to the $10,000 mark with a single donation at the end. In 2021, he collected more than $70,000 for tornado relief in western Kentucky. It was the only year of the five when he asked for the winner to send the money out west. In all other years, the winner can choose his/her charity.
"That was really a great Christmas present,” said Nancy Fouser, who runs Freedom Tiny Homes Ky.
Fouser took the money won to finish a tiny home for a couple in eastern Kentucky who’d lost it all in the flooding of 2022.
In order to run this type of raffle, Greg needs donors to offer prizes. This year Paul Hudson, Julie Hudson and Michael Wright donated some rare bourbons. Greg, a cattle farmer himself, donates a ¼ of a beef, and has the processing taking care of for the winner.
“People go through hard times, but when you have local community help its better than relying on larger entities,” said Josh Westfall of Oxbow Meat Processing. His process usually costs about $700-$800 dollars.
Others donate too, like Robert Hartley of Southern Hart Photography, who offers a one-hour photo shoot, and Adam Conners of Hauling Ash Tree Company, which donates a large tree for the winner to have planted at home. That costs, with installation and soil testing, about $1,000. These are the people supporting Greg’s campaign as he works to support those who could use a boost during the holidays.
“The best day is when you get to deliver the prize,” Greg said. “I’m going to do it for as long as I can,” he added before saying he hopes to eclipse the $200,000 mark next year. He’s closing in on $150,000 raised over 4-plus holiday seasons.
The prize winners will be drawn on Dec. 23. If you’d like to enter the raffle, you can purchase tickets at Woodford Feed Company located at 498 Lexington Road in Versailles. Or you can send a Venmo payment to Greg-Dotson-9. Each ticket costs $5.
