Monday, July 23, 2012

KIDCO TEAM MEMBER WINS 50/50 RAFFLE TO SUPPORT PROGRAM


The Tucson Parks Foundation hosted the Second Annual Night at the
Ballpark on Wednesday, July 18th. It was a great success, rising almost
$2,000 for the Tucson Parks and Recreation KIDCO program.  That is
$1,400 more than was raised the previous year. The foundation, parks and
recreation staff, board members and community really came together to
support a great cause. 
 
Each KIDCO participant, which is almost 1,500 children, was given a
free ticket to the game. Over 330 tickets were sold in advance for a
discounted price of $4 and a 50/50 raffle was held throughout the first
7 innings. The 50/50 raffle raised $922 with a prize of $461 going to
KIDCO employee Danika Knight. She had only purchased a single ticket for
$1 and stated that she was “shocked, it was luck of the draw” when
they called out the winning numbers. 
 
Danika, who has been an employee of the KIDCO program for the past two
summers, gave $200 of her winnings back to the Tucson Parks Foundation
and KIDCO without hesitation. “I didn’t even think about it, they
handed me the money and I immediately handed them $200 back,” says
Knight. She selflessly felt as though she had only invested a dollar and
did not deserve the money. Danika also gave portions of the winnings to
the foundation where her sorority donates and her church, only saving
$75 for herself. “I was trying to disperse it because I didn’t feel
like I rightfully deserved it and since this event was for KIDCO I
wanted to give them the biggest chunk back,” stated Knight. 
 
Danika is a 21-year-old Speech Pathology student at Northern Arizona
University (NAU) and will graduate next May then move on to graduate
school. She hopes to work for the Tucson Parks and Recreation KIDCO
Summer program for as long as her schedule will allow. Her favorite part
about her job is getting to know and work with the kids. She said it
“keeps her on her toes.”
 
A Special thanks to our sponsors Pyramid Federal Credit Union, who
provided the funds for the Padres fees and Alphagraphics, who provided
the printing of the tickets for free. To donate to the Tucson Parks
Foundation please visit www.TucsonParks.org.