Mark Carter, of Carter Chevrolet, stands beside the 2016 Chevy Cruz that will be the grand prize in the Boys & Girls Club Annual Car Raffle and Auction.

This year's Boys & Girls Club Car Raffle is in full swing with a new 2016 Chevy Cruz from Carter Chevrolet as the grand prize. The Car Raffle has been around for more than 40 years.
"Originally, Board members sold 250 tickets at $100 each. Today, because of the price of the new car, we sell 400 tickets," says Board Director Jack Weller. "Many of those who buy a ticket have been doing this for 20 or 30 years."
Weller says many long-time purchasers of raffle tickets anticipate the drawing each year. "It is not unusual for a Board member to get a call from a friend and be asked, 'Do you have my raffle ticket?'"
Weller says that the car raffle is a "combination of traditions and excitement. As we get close to the end of the drawing, the last 10 folks are asked to come up front so we can see the excitement on their face when they win the car."
The drawing for this year's raffle will take place on Friday, June 3, 2016, in Goforth Hall at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Shelby. The evening will begin with a meal (included in the cost of the raffle ticket) at 6 p.m., followed by the raffle drawing and a silent and live auction beginning at 7 p.m.
One highlight of the auction is a painting print donated by Phillip Philbeck and framed by Victorian Rose Studios. "Blackberry Road" depicts bright country flowers that contrast with the weather worn boards of an old home. "Ten years ago Phillip and Elwin Stilwell, the owner of the Victorian Rose, had the idea to donate a framed print for the Boys & Girls Club auction," says Weller. "Elwin passed away seven years ago, but his daughter, Tracy, continues the tradition." Philbeck will also personalize a statement and autograph the back of the framed picture.
Other special auction items include overnight stays at Tweetsie Railroad and Great Wolf Lodge, a new powered lawn mower and a hot water heater.
The money raised by the raffle and auctions helps provide funds for the club's after-school program and is also used to make the Jack & Ruth Schweppe Summer Day Camp a success. "It is our biggest fundraiser each year," says Weller.
Raffle tickets can be purchased from any board member or by calling the Boys & Girls Club at 704-471-2852.

By April Hoyle Shauf