January 21, 2009

Take a chance on a new car


Reporter Jackie Majerus wrote this story:
A plan to raffle off a car – and have ticket proceeds power the Bristol Fuel Bank – is stalled.
Thomas Morrow, director of the Bristol Community Organization, said they still need to sell 700 more tickets just to break even.
Tickets for a chance at the sub-compact car – a red, 2009 Nissan Versa – cost $10 each.
The drawing for the car is scheduled for the end of February.
Morrow said they'll sell the tickets at the Bristol Home and Business Show, scheduled for Feb. 20-22.
"That would be our last big push," said Morrow, before the drawing.
There are 3,000 raffle tickets to sell, and Morrow said 1,500 will cover the cost of the car. After that, the proceeds go to the fuel bank.
But despite promoting the raffle at festivals and events and on posters since late September, only about 800 tickets have sold so far.
Mayor Art Ward said ticket sellers might have to exert a little personal pressure to get them sold.
"We're going to have to tap people on the shoulder," said Ward, who carries a wad of tickets around, hoping to sell them.
Morrow said he spent several hours recently at Wal-Mart, trying to sell raffle tickets to customers, but only managed to unload 11 of them.
People are either not willing – or not able – to spend $10 on a raffle ticket, Morrow said.
Peggy Sokol, aging services director, said the raffle isn't a big winner at the senior center, either.
"I have tried my darndest to push those tickets," said Sokol. "Nobody's interested in buying them."
Tickets will be available at Chili's restaurant on Thursday, Feb. 12, Morrow said. That night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the restaurant will be hosting a "Tip a Firefighter Night" to benefit the fuel bank.
Morrow said he'd like to hear of more places or events where BCO could sell the tickets.
Only half joking, Morrow said he would like to try to sell tickets at an off track betting office. He said gamblers would have better odds with a raffle ticket than they do on the ponies.
BCO is the agency in charge of the raffle, but it is a project of the Winter '09 committee, which is made up of city departments and community agencies that help residents in need of food, clothing, shelter and heat in the coldest months.
The Bristol Fuel Bank, administered by BCO, is set up to help city residents who are having trouble paying for heat, but who do not qualify for federal or state fuel assistance.
The fuel bank gives loans, which it expects recipients to repay before asking for more help.
The Crowley dealership sold the car to BCO at cost, said Morrow, and has also donated a second place prize of a $250 gas card and a third place prize of some car washes.
Raffle tickets are available from BCO at 55 South St., from Ward and others.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

The car's too small and BCO is not my favorite charity.

Anonymous said...

Too bad the Bristol Communist Organization didn't have the forethought to use an American care for this contest.

Anonymous said...

Isn't Morrow a democrat?

Anonymous said...

To the 8:28 anonymous post about how they should use an American Car. The Warrantee on an American Car is gonna be completely worthless once the American Car Dealerships go under.

Anonymous said...

Wow, a trifecta - three amazingly stupid comments right in a row.

Anonymous said...

put aside your own prejudices and try to realize that the benefit is for those who are determined to be less fortunate than yourselves - what a novel idea for most people who post on this site.

Anonymous said...

Marc B:

Keep your hopes up. Maybe then the People's Republic of China will run our country completely too! And you can wear your pins of Mao, Castro, Lenin and Che' with pride!

Steve Collins said...

It's amazing to see people trash BCO, an organization that exists to help the needy in our own community. It's not the government doing something. It's a nonprofit set up to lend a hand to those who need it. To find something wrong with that is basically to say the hell with everyone who's struggling in our town.
Nobody's saying that anyone has to donate to it or even buy a ticket. But to condemn it is ridiculous.

Concerned Constructive Conservative said...

Collins:

Again you're out of line saying anyone is "trashing" the BCO. And if they are maybe it's rightfully so.

I don't care what you say or anyone, they should be using an American car...PERIOD.

Steve Collins said...

It's hardly out of line to say that calling BCO "the Bristol Communist Organization" is horrible. That IS horrible.

Anonymous said...

I agree, BCO is a good and necessary organization.

But, maybe Morrow ought to be more careful with his politics: people do remember.

Concerned Constructive Conservative said...

Collins, you act like you love Bristol and the local people so much, yet you live in West Hartford. People forget it's your job (in other words people pay you) to report on their good deeds and bad. Have you ever actually volunteered to do anything in Bristol? Have you ever done anything that wasn't work related in Bristol? Someone writes a stupid joke comment and you then post it. Maybe the joke's on you or maybe you're the joker and we're all the fools for reading this fodder?

Steve Collins said...

Though I don't have to justify my life to you, CC, or anyone else, I've given thousands of hours to helping young journalists in Bristol and beyond, on a volunteer basis.
That's my passion, not my job.

Anonymous said...

Definition of Communism:

1a:a theory advocating elimination of private property
b: a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed

2a: a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
b: a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production
c: a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably

--Although I am against progressive socialism in this country, I fail to see the "horrible-ness" in the usage of the word. Although totalitarian communist countries have proved to be failed ones, it's not like fascism where agressiveness is part of the definition. Although history is full of communist dictators that murdered millions, being a communist is not equal to being genocidal.

AnonymousWestconnStudent said...

Concerned Conservative:

Have you actually volunteered to do something? Or is that intervention in the market?

A Japanese car is as likely to be made in America as an American car is to be made in Japan.

Show some support people and buy a ticket! The BCO is worth it!

Anonymous said...

Steve,
Unless you're paid for all the hours you put in on this blog, I'd say that's quite a bit of volunteerism right there.
And it's not for anyplace but Bristol.
On top of that, to put up with thugs like Concerned Conservative who is neither concerned nor a conservative, when he trashes you and the newspaper, is really going beyond the call.