By Staff
CASSOPOLIS - When Cass County CASA officials presented a check for the CASA house-50/50 raffle, little did they know they would be on the receiving end.
Dean McKenzie from Marcellus graciously donated his winnings - $13,500 - back to CASA. Back in the summer it was the hope of everyone that CASA would sell enough tickets to enable them to give away a new home in Edwardsburg, along with 20 other cash prizes.
Unfortunately, that hope quickly faded with the final count of just over 800 tickets being sold, substantially short of the 3,500 tickets needed.
There was to be only one winner drawn on Saturday, Oct. 2 - Dean McKenzie.
McKenzie and his wife were out for ice cream when they received the call notifying them of their winnings.
His first reaction was "cha-ching!"
It was after realizing CASA was a children's advocacy group, helping Cass County children who have been abused/neglected and are in the court system that he was moved to donate the money back to the organization.
This was no surprise to those in his Marcellus community who know Dean McKenzie and his family and their reputation for giving back.
Cass County CASA is a non-profit organization and like most non-profit's today, are struggling to financially sustain themselves, CASA officials said..
It is due to the generosity of McKenzie and others in our community that CASA is able to advocate for the most precious citizens in Cass County, the children, CASA officials said.
If you would like to become part of the CASA organization or make a donation, please contact them at 445-4431 to find out how you can help or become involved.
Cass County CASA wishes to express their most heartfelt appreciation to Dean McKenzie for his generous donation and to all those who participated in the CASA house raffle. It truly is helping to make a difference in the life of a child, one child at a time.