Special Olympics truck raffle raises nearly $600,000

Sometimes life is more of a distance run than a dash.

That was demonstrated when Special Olympics Montana officials presented their 22nd annual Chevy Truck Raffle grand prize at City Motors in Great Falls on Saturday.

Special Olympic athletic Jamie Darko, 32, a weightlifter on the Hornets adult team was recognized for selling the most $5 raffle tickets, a whopping 2,506. He stood politely for stints of four hours or longer for several months this winter politely asking for donations at Smith’s Food, Sam’s Club and other businesses.

He also was the state’s top raffle ticket salesman two years ago, when he sold nearly 1,500 tickets, his mother, Star Darko recalled.

Overall, Special Olympics Montana athletes and supporters sold a record 114,426 tickets and raised more than $586,987, a new record said Special Olympics Montana vice president Lanni Klasner. When athletes sell tickets, 80 percent of the proceeds go to their teams, which helps pay for uniforms, travel, lodging and meals for their teams.

Meanwhile, Guy Buyan of Alder, Mont., who was awarded a new 2016 Chevy Silverado Pickup valued at $44,000 for his winning raffle ticket, also was no newcomer.

“I’ve bought a few raffle tickets a year for a long time because I like to help support a program that gives these special people an activity to look forward to each year,” Buyan said.

He said he and his wife will probably drive their other, used Chevy vehicles for routine things and park the shiny new pickup in the garage “for go-to town events in Dillon.”

Those words were well received by Bob Oakland, the 90-year-old City Motors board chairman who helped launch the truck give away raffle for Montana Special Olympics 22 years ago. The truck is now jointly donated by City Motors of Great Falls and Denny Menholt Chevy of Billings.

The runner-up raffle prize, a Disney vacation for four, went to Heidi Jones of Bozeman, while Mandy Jore of Belgrade won a $1,000 Town Pump gift card, and Wayne Brune of Browning won a $1,000 Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply gift card.