Sheriff’s office raffles off car for Project Graduation

Late last year, Project Graduation began collecting entries.

The premise was simple. For $5, you could purchase a ticket and be entered into a raffle to win a second-hand white 2010 Ford Explorer, donated by the Sheriff’s Office and in great shape. 

Members of the Gulf Community were quick to get their entries in, raising thousands of dollars that will go towards hosting graduation night events for both Port St. Joe and Wewahitchka High Schools. Then, they patiently waited until March for the drawing.

On March 3, the wait was over.

“We’re here to draw for our car that our students on both ends of the county have been selling tickets for for about four or five months now,” said Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harrison to a crowd gathered at the Sheriff’s Office in Port St. Joe.

“We were happy to give the car as we do every year for a fundraiser for Project Graduation, a great cause, to be able to keep our (high school) seniors off the roads on the night of graduation.”

Then, Harrison and a group of gathered seniors drew a name – Cathay Linder.

Linder was not in attendance at the event, but Harrison said that he would reach out to her at the phone number on the ticket to let her know that she had won the prize.

Project Graduation will continue fundraising for their after graduation events through the rest of the school year.