Raffle Winner Hits The Road With Classic Mustang

“I drove my first Mustang at age 7, while riding on my father’s lap,” said Bill O’Neill, “and I have loved them ever since then.”

Mr O’Neill was the lucky winner of the Newtown Lions Mustang Raffle. An old car buff, he was impressed by the 1965 light blue convertible when he saw it at a car show in Darien and bought two tickets this past summer. His name was the one chosen last month when the winner of the annual Lions Club Mustang Raffle was picked.

Mr O’Neill, a ten-year resident of Ridgefield, is in sales at Ridgefield BMW. He is married and has two sons. When not looking at old cars, he is an avid golfer.

The annual Mustang Raffle is the Newtown Lions Club’s biggest fundraiser. Walt Schweikert, the club’s current president, said this was the best raffle ever. The proceeds will be used to support more than 50 local, regional, and international charities, with an emphasis on blindness prevention and juvenile diabetes. Locally, the Lions support food banks, homeless shelters, and a variety of community projects.

This was the 19th Mustang the Lions have raffled off for charity. According to Paul Krueger, chairman of the Lions Club Car Committee, the club is in the process of searching for next year’s raffle car.

“They are getting harder to find and are more expensive each year,” Mr Krueger said.