Suffolk News-Herald

It’s official. Suffolk Mayor Dana E. Dickens III will buy the first ticket for the 4th Annual Greater Hampton Roads St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. The ticket kick-off party will take place at noon Wednesday in the Nansemond River Golf Club. Coverage will air live on WTKR News Channel 3.

Construction is well under way of this four-bedroom, four bathroom St. Jude Dream Home located at 3347 Nansemond River Drive in Nansemond River Estates. The home, valued at about $325,000, has over 2,800 square feet of living space, a spacious two-car garage and is being built by Simpson Builders. Dwight Schaubach, developer of Nansemond River Estates and Simpson Builders Inc., donated two-thirds of the cost of the lot.

Tickets are $100 each and only 9,000 will be sold this year. There are limited amounts with many of them already reserved. They are available at any branch of Heritage Bank & Trust SouthTrust Bank, Hancock Fabrics, or can be purchased 24 hours a day at 1-877-707-8703.

Dickens said he would be very surprised if he wins.

&uot;I bought the ticket because I wanted to support the St. Jude Hospital for the worthy work that they do, not only for children, but also for the work that they do for all of the country,&uot; he said.

Event chairman is Judy Boone, operator and owner of Judy Boone Realty in Ocean View in Norfolk and Great Bridge in Chesapeake. She said the project began in 2001, and that they were fortunate to get people and realtors in Suffolk to donate materials and supplies to build the local house.

&uot;The first home in 2001 was built in Norfolk and we raised $775,000. The second home in 2002 was built in Virginia Beach and we raised $800,070. The third home in 2003 was built in Norfolk again, but we raised about $558,000 because we were in the middle of a war and many ships were out to sea,&uot; said Boone.

She also said that last year’s winner was a senior chief naval officer with 26 years of service who is now serving overseas. He is due to arrive back to his home in Chesapeake this August. Prior to his winning the home, he lived in a mobile home and said he has always dreamed of owning a home when he retired from the service.

According to Boone, he bought a ticket for two years straight before his big win.

In addition to the dream home, local sponsors have donated additional prizes for the giveaway. Some of these include a diamond necklace from Sandfiddler Jewelry, flowers every month for a year from a Norfolk florist, a pool table from Recreational Factory Warehouse, and more.

One person in 500 will win a prize, plus anyone who purchases their ticket before March 5 will be entered into an additional drawing for a $1,200 shopping package to a local grocery store.

Organizers have indicated that many Hampton Roads residents will receive an informative brochure later this month. Stay tuned to NewsChannel 3, other publications, and radio stations Oldies 92.9 and 97.3-The Eagle for further Dream Home updates.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is located in Memphis, Tenn. and was founded in 1962 by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. It is an international recognized biomedical research center dedicated to finding cures for catastrophic diseases of childhood. The hospital’s work is supported through funds raised by American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC). This association takes care of all costs not covered by insurance for medical treatment rendered at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Families without insurance are never asked to pay. Also, according to Boone, if anyone has a child with a serious disease that may require a stay in the area while the child is being treated, arrangements can be made for the guardian or guardians who accompany the child to stay at a Ronald McDonald House, hotel or condominium with no cost to them.

&uot;The hospital has an outpatient clinic and 56 beds but is the largest research center in the world. It also operates at about $700,00 to $800,000 a day that includes a lot of work associated with a lot of love,&uot; said Boone.

Regional offices are located in Richmond and Virginia Beach. For more information please visit wwww.stjude.org.