Raffle for Luminosa: Everybody is a winner

Thanksgiving morning, November 22nd:Before cooking the turkey for hours and hours, 30 people came together for a very important event in a small park close to the Nativity Church in Torrance, CA: the drawing of the Luminosa Raffle 2012, proceeds of which will support the little city of the Focolare Movement in North America. At a Get-together with coffee, fresh muffins and croissants, Councilman Bill Sutherland stirred the drum with more than 900 raffle tickets, sold in California, Arizona, Washington, and to some friends in other states. The winner of the first prize, an I-pad 2, lives in San Diego, the flat screen TV goes to Arizona. The other prizes – golden earrings and entertainment packages were won by people of several cities in California. Many of the prizes were donations made by people who wanted to give something back to Mariapolis Luminosa. Gesuina Paras, coordinator of the raffle together with John Freeman, lived for six month at Luminosa, after her graduation from High School: “It was a life-changing experience”, she said, “I really learned there how to live my faith.” Francesca Gregoris (12) who lives with her family in Torrance went there for a Summer Camp for girls this summer, by using her savings and raising money with garage sales: “It is such a beautiful, calm place”, she shared – and, of course, the 80 girls gathered there from the US and Canada had “a lot of fun”.

Councilman Bill Sutherland thanked everyone, not only for buying the tickets, but also everyone who organized and helped with the raffle: “You give your time, which is the most precious contribution.” And it is not simply selling tickets to raise money – for a lot of the ticket sellers, it was an occasion to share what Mariapolis Luminosa means for them and to bear witness that another lifestyle is possible: “In this sense, everybody is a winner.”

Susanne Janssen