Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 5/9/2022
LUDLOW/SPRINGFIELD – After a successful first year, the Michael J. Dias Foundation’s Super Raffle is returning in 2022 with a weeklong event.
Michael J. Dias Foundation Executive Director Karen Blanchard described the work the foundation does for people struggling with addiction.
“Michael J. Dias Foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and we are all about sober housing. It was started back in 2014, it was started with one house but now it has grown to three and basically what we do is offer sober housing to males who are in recovery,” she said.
Blanchard said all of the foundation’s sober houses are located in Springfield with locations on Mill Street, Buckingham Street and Wilbraham Road.
She added the foundation started after founder Grace Dias’ son passed away.
“It really was birthed out of our founder Grace Dias; she lost her son to addiction, and she didn’t want to see anybody else go through the hell that she did and so that’s how she started this foundation. It’s really near and dear to her heart and to see this grow and be successful in honor of her son, Michael J. Dias,” Blanchard said.
The Super Raffle is just one of the foundation’s yearly fundraisers.
“We’ve been working really hard and trying to grow and we do have a couple of fundraisers throughout the year, and this is our second annual Super Raffle, and we are hoping to raise funds to keep everything going,” Blanchard said.
All proceeds from the raffle will go back toward funding for the foundation.
“We have an all-volunteer board of directors, and they work very hard to make all these fundraisers come together,” she said.
Blanchard said the festivities kick off the week of May 16 with raffle drawings every day.
“With the super prizes – there are at least 15 – and what we do is we have lesser prizes that are worth a little bit less than the super ones and the week before we are going to be drawing that whole week Monday through Friday, multiple prizes and we are going to do a live Facebook feed while we’re doing it,” she said. “There are over probably 35 prizes at this point.”
Among the top prizes include two tickets to an Aerosmith concert, a four-day, three-night trip to New York City and a water touch down flight and dinner for four at The Federal Restaurant with a limousine ride. Blanchard added that all of the prizes were donated from businesses including TD Bank and LUSO Federal Credit Union.
Once the smaller prizes have been drawn, Blanchard said the foundation will be drawing the grand prizes alongside a Trailer Trash concert on May 22.
“Not only will people have the concert with Trailer Trash, but food is also included. We are going to have people talk about the foundation and promoting it. So, it really is not only entertainment but also informative because not everybody may know what the Dias Foundation does,” she said.
Blanchard said she is looking forward to a successful raffle.
“The first year for the raffle went really well last year, we sold over 300 tickets and the cost was $100 per ticket and we reduced it to $50 this year, so we are hoping to sell at least the same amount of tickets this year,” she said.
Blanchard added the price for admission to the Trailer Trash concert is $25 and tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/295330721137. Raffle tickets can be purchased online www.mdiasfoundation.org. The Super Raffle drawing and concert take place at the Ludlow Fish and Game Club, located at 200 Sportsmans Rd.