2021 will mark the 25th year of annual Packer Raffle, the club’s biggest fundraiser which nets $23,000 – $24,000 for the kids of our community each year. With the relaxing of COVID restrictions, the format will revert to its previous form in every respect. That means a return to the usual prize structure and the resumption of the Tailgate Party at Village Bowl, set for Monday, Sept. 13 this year starting at 5:15 p.m.

All club members will be put on one of 17 teams to be drafted on Tuesday, July 13. Tickets will be given to captains to distribute to team members. Notification of same will come via e-mail later this month. Check carefully because some people will be on different teams than last year. Phone your leader to get a ticket for yourself and hopefully some to sell. However, no one is required to either buy or sell any tickets!

For our numerous new members and those veterans who may have forgotten the particulars….

• First prize is a trip for eight people to Lambeau Field to see the Packers play in your choice of nine regular season games. Also included are a luxury limo ride to and from the game, a tailgate party at Lambeau, Packer wearing apparel, food and beverage enroute to Green Bay and $1,000 cash to be used however the winners want. We will provide the limo ride from anywhere in Wisconsin.

• Tickets cost $100 each but remember it’s for eight people. So, four couples could pay $25 each, or eight buddies could chip in $12.50 apiece. However (per state auditor’s directive) only one person’s name can go on the ticket stub.

• Second Prize is $1,000, third prize is $600, fourth prize is $400. Thirteen more awards of $250 will be given and one person will win a free entry for 2022.

• Sales are limited to no more than 350 tickets. Therefore with 18 prizes, contestants have a better than 1 in 20chance of more than doubling their money,

 • Each ticket allows one person to come to the drawing and tailgate party held at Village Bowl on Monday, Sept. 13 starting at 5:15 p.m. Over $2,000 in door prizes will be given out to those in attendance that night. Others who have contributed to the purchase of a ticket can attend for $10. Free food, beer and soda make it a fun event.

• When you get your ticket(s) from your captain, please try and sell them. They’re really an easy sell. At least, consider buying one yourself or with a friend. Those you don’t sell should be returned to your captain not passed on to someone else.

• Stubs and money should be returned to your captain or can be turned in to Dan Schwind at Town Bank in the Falls. Deadline for returning stubs, money or unsold tickets is Wednesday, Sept. 1.

• Please write your name on the back of each ticket you buy/sell as it will help us track down the winners.

• Flyers will be distributed at morning meetings or will be available online later this month.

Let us get on board and continue to raise big money for the kids of our community!

In the absence of the usual Tailgate Party and drawing at Village Bowl, 2020’s winners were announced on local cable access TV with the drawing originating at DJ’s Goalpost in the Falls on Monday, September 14. Seven of the 18 prizes went to Optimist members, though ex-members and a spouse won another three.

Bob Wenzel of the Falls, who captured the $1,000 third prize, donated $500 of it back to the club, which allowed for a profit of $22,900, third best in club history trailing only the record-breaking $23,869.23 of last year and the previous record of $23,803.71 the year before. The last 13 years of the raffle have netted $263,526.75 for the youth of the community!

Second prize of $2,000 went to member Carl Trapp. Brent Morris of the Falls took fourth place worth $750 and Steven Sadowski of Muskego garnered $500 for fifth prize.

Packer Raffle Chair: Ed Schlumpf

Packer Raffle Co-chairs: Del Kreuser, Dan Schwind, Joe Ludan