Northampton Couple Wins Pickering Manor's 2023 Car Raffle

NEWTOWN, PA — Dreams of winning a brand new car, or $25,000 in cash, swept through the crowd gathered at the entrance to Pickering Manor Friday evening.

They were there to find out if they held the winning ticket to Pickering's 10th Annual Car Raffle, which began months ago when the first tickets were sold in the community.

After an hour of eager anticipation, Pickering Manor board member John Parry stepped to the fore to welcome everyone to the special evening as everyone there pondered what it would be like to be the big winner as they shared conversation, socialized and enjoyed drinks and hors d'oeuvres

"It's so nice to see all of you here tonight," said Parry, standing underneath the portico in front of the Manor on North Lincoln Avenue. "I want to thank you all very much. I'd also like to thank the sponsors for the night - Geno Peruzzi from the Peruzzi organization who helped make this possible with their generous donation."

As CEO David Woodhead gave a tumbler filled with tickets a final few spins, he thanked everyone for supporting Pickering. "We are proud to be an independent, nonprofit long term care facility serving this community. And we couldn't do this without all of you."

Woodhead invited Pickering Manor residents Ann and Ross Hendricks to join him at the tumbler to officially pick the Grand Prize winner and the runner-up.

After giving the tumbler a few additional turns, Ann reached in and pulled out the winner.

"And the winner is Ted Palka," said Woodhead as applause filled the air.

Palka and his wife, Karyn, joined Woodhead in front of the crowd where he accepted a bottle of champagne and his wife received a bouquet of flowers.

Woodhead gave the tumbler a few more turns before Ross reached in and picked the winner of a $1,000 gift card - Beverly Kimble.

Palka and his wife, residents of Holland, Northampton Township, have been longtime supporters of Pickering.

"The lady who picked the ticket, her name was Ann. I leaned over to Ted and said, 'That's my mother's name.' And then I said, 'Maybe we'll win.' And what a surprise, we won."

Karyn is a retired school teacher and Ted is the retired part-owner of a trucking company.

Proceeds from the raffle will support the operation of the facility, which is operated by the Community Wellness Council, a nonprofit, community-based organization that also oversees the Newtown Theatre and the Lighthouse Cemetery.

"This is going to help us greatly as we continue to recover from COVID," said Woodhead.

Pickering Manor will hold an open house for its Independent Living Cottages and newly constructed Personal Care Neighborhood on Sunday, April 30 from 1 to 4 p.m.

In 2020, Pickering expanded its facilities with the addition of the 26,000 square foot Sidney T. Yates Pavilion complete with a state-of-the-art rehabilitation gym, a 15-bed Short Term Rehab Neighborhood with all private rooms and a 15-bed Personal Care Neighborhood.

In 2022, renovations were also completed throughout the original Pickering Pavilion including a 32-bed Skilled Nursing Neighborhood and a 21-bed Memory Care Neighborhood. In addition, Pickering Manor offers Independent Living with 10 Cottages and 24 Rental Apartments for those interested in a 55+experience.

Visit www.pickeringmanor.org for more information.