When Pam Bradfield bought a ticket for the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce reverse raffle, she looked at it as her way of supporting the chamber.

“I never thought I’d win,” she said.

Bradfield, who has been involved with the chamber and is a former board member, left the Lakeview Center the night of Aug. 28 $10,000 wealthier.

Standing on stage as the evening came to a close, Bradfield held the luckiest of 264 raffle tickets sold by the chamber in one of its most anticipated events held each year.

Just moments before her ticket was drawn as the grand prize winner, Michele DeBlois, who was last year’s grand prize winner, yelled from the back of the room, offering $4,000 each for the two remaining tickets.

But Bradfield had made it to the final two and was determined to see how far her luck could take her. The only thing she recalled winning in similar circumstances was a pink and white doily at the St. Rose Festival in Ohio when she was younger.

“I joked with my brothers and sisters that this was so much better,” she said.

With the choice of a 2008 Chevrolet Aveo or $10,000, Bradfield decided she’d take the money. “I’m going to share it with my kids and my church, and I’m going to do one fun thing. I haven’t fully decided what it is, but it might involve a cruise,” she said.

Dawson County Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Tourism Marty Williams said the chamber was pleased with the drawing party’s turnout and the funds raised by ticket sales.

“We missed our budget by just about 40 tickets. In this day and time, that’s wonderful,” he said. “Everybody at the party had such a great time.”

Proceeds from the raffle support many chamber initiatives throughout the year, including next week’s annual picnic at Amicalola Falls State Park. “There is a great excitment in the air the night of the reverse raffle. Giving away $10,000 or a new car, well, it just as much fun as you can have, and Tuesday was no exception,” said Kristie Myers, chairman of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. 

E-mail Michele Hester at michele@dawsonnews.com.