by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
Two lucky locals now have tickets for the Super Bowl and two fortunate families will soon have new homes, thanks to Delores Barr Weaver’s most recent fundraiser.
In September, as a fundraiser for HabiJax, Jaguars co-owner Weaver organized two raffles to give away her allotment of four Super Bowl tickets. Wednesday, two lucky winners were chosen.
Angela Bloom of Jacksonville won the first drawing, where tickets cost $100 per raffle ticket and the prize was two seats inside the stadium.
“I can’t even believe it happened,” said Bloom. “I have been walking around the house and I still can’t believe it.”
Bloom said she is giving her tickets to her son in Raleigh, N.C. and her daughter in Boston. Both of children were going to come to Jacksonville for the Super Bowl anyway, she said.
“I am just so thankful to receive these and I and am thankful to help Delores with the great things that she does,” Bloom said.
The other raffle cost $1,000 per ticket and was for two seats in the Weaver’s skybox. Only 39 tickets were available — it’s Super Bowl No. 39 — but Springfield developer Craig Van Horn bought the winning ticket. Van Horn said he actually forgot about the raffle after he bought his ticket.
“I was thinking of it as a donation,” he said. “I never thought that I would win.”
Though neither winner was present at the official drawing Wednesday at Alltel Stadium, about 50 ticket holders showed up to see how they fared.
Also at the drawing, Weaver presented HabiJax with a check for $78,000. Weaver said the money raised through this raffle will allow HabiJax to build almost two new homes for families in need.
Though all 39 of the $1,000 raffle tickets were purchased, Weaver said only 308 of the 390 $100 tickets were bought. Therefore, the Weavers and the Jaguars Foundation donated the remainder so HabiJax would receive its full $78,000 donation.