Twenty dollars not only buys residents a ticket and a chance to win one of three Visa gift cards through the Newtown Rotary Club's annual raffle, but also supports the organization's local and global outreach.its website.About Newtown Rotary

Prizes total $6,000 and are all in gift cards, said Rotary member Julie Friend.

"Anyone in the community can purchase a ticket," she said, but there are only 1,000 tickets available. "Pretty good odds," she said.

Tickets are $20 each and have gone on sale. Many are still available. Ticket holders need not be present at the December 19 drawing to win.

This year's prizes are a $3,000 Visa gift card, a $2,000 gift card and a $1,000 gift card.

According to Ms Friend, the raffle is designed to help raise funds for the Rotary "to continue to contribute to worthy causes," such as the Labor Day Parade, Dorothy Day House, Newtown Scholarship Association, and organizations including the Gift of Life.

The Dorothy Day Hospitality House serves 60 to 80 hot meals each afternoon and provides shelter to 16 people each night, according to

"People don't realize about all that we do in the community," Ms Friend said. Annually, the club determines a giving budget "to provide gifts to various organizations," both locally and globally, such as the Gift of Life. The Gift of Life organization provides funding for lifesaving surgeries for children around the world who would otherwise not have access to the medical care needed, nor the means to pay for what can be tens of thousands of dollars in surgery.

In partnering with the Gift of Life, "We might work to bring a child here or on another year we get together with different Rotary clubs and contribute to surgeries that are done elsewhere," Ms Friend said.

Most recently, Hazel Ricardel-Alquilos, a native of Cebu in the Philippines, and her son Bezale, arrived in Connecticut, February 18, 2015. The little boy was receiving help through the Newtown Rotary Club Challenge for the Gift of Life. He was also "under the protection" of Newtown Rotary member Dan Rosenthal, his wife, Meri Jitsukawa, and their children, Hana, Emi, and Ben. The Rosenthal family hosted the mother and child while Bezalel awaited heart surgery at Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford on February 27.

In a recent e-mail , Ms Friend said, Bezalel will be celebrating his fourth birthday in December. "An amazing story," she said. The little boy "had to be carried everywhere, and had never eaten solid food until just before he left the states."

Also in her e-mail, Ms Friend said that through the Gift of Life, "This past year we helped provide heart surgeries for 20 Zambian children who now have the hope of a healthy heart. This past March screenings by medical personnel allowed for the children to have expert diagnosis provided to the doctors in India." All 20 children "are doing wonderfully and have each had follow-up exams since their return to Zambia." This was part of a Rotary International Global Grant and participation of many clubs around the world, including the Rotary Club of Bridgeport, she said. Learn more at giftoflifeinternational.org.

Tickets are available through Rotary Members or purchasers can stop in at Newtown Florist, 111 South Main Street, or The Black Swan, 182 South Main Street. Tickets also available at the Rotary Pancake Breakfast on Saturday morning, December 3, in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall. Rotary members in Newtown are listed at the newtownctrotary.org.

There are two components to the club, Ms Friend said. There is the Rotary itself, "and our fundraising arm so we can contribute back to the community." The organization conducts "fundraisers of various kinds throughout the year, and the focus now is the raffle, which is a major fundraiser."

Based on information posted at newtownctrotary.org, the local Rotary was established in 1939 by service-minded business and professional individuals who lived or worked in Newtown. The Newtown Rotary Club today continues its dedication to serving Newtown and the surrounding communities as well as the greater world community. Last year the club raised more than $50,000 that helped to fund numerous projects. In addition, the club's members provide hundreds of hours of service each year. The club participates in the Labor Day Parade, and is known for the Pancake Breakfast that is part of the annual holiday festivities. Each month the club honors the "Students of the Month" from the intermediate, middle, and high schools, as well as St Rose School, sponsors Interact Clubs at the middle, Reed Intermediate, and high schools, participates in the annual blood drive organized through the Red Cross, and with the Chamber of Commerce sponsors the annual Businesses of the Year Awards.

Rotary International

Newtown Rotary is part of Rotary International, made up of 32,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas with more than 1.2 million members. The Rotary International Foundation invests each year in humanitarian and educational projects throughout the world. The Newtown Club supports many of these programs, and has led school supplies projects in Kosovo and Costa Rica supported by students here in Newtown.