By ALEX SPONSELLER Although the Warwick Rotary Club’s gourmet gala fundraiser event has been postponed until further notice due to the COVID-19 crisis, the club will still be holding its annual charity raffle on April 7 at noon, with the grand prize being a $10,000 cash reward.

Back in 2016, the Warwick Rotary club established a car raffle in which all proceeds would go towards its list of local charitable organizations. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the club was forced to adjust its approach this time around.

“Unfortunately, the virus has affected our ticket sales, we missed the last push. Even at this level though, we are able to give back $10,000 to the community. All proceeds are going to go back to the community charities which is great to see,” said Oliver Brady, a member of the Warwick Rotary club who has been a key contributor to the annual raffle since its inception five years ago.

The drawing will also be in a new location, and displayed in a new medium. Instead of the drawing being held at its usual gourmet gala, the drawing will be held at the Warwick Beacon’s office. The event will be broadcasted on Facebook Live, and viewers will be able to access the stream through both the Beacon and Greenwood Credit Union’s Facebook pages. Due to the virus, the drawing will be closed to the public.

There is still hope that this year’s car, a 2020 Hyundai SEL SUV, provided by Ed Tarbox, will be available to the eventual winner.

Should the Rotary Club reach its original goal of 300 tickets sold, the car will be back on the shelf and the winner will then have the choice between the cash prize and the new ride. Tickets remain on sale and are available through the Warwick Rotary Club, Warwick Beacon and the Greenwood Credit Union.

Brady appreciates the continued support of the community and the club’s partners in helping bring the raffle back for another year despite the recent circumstances.

“Our members have really stepped up,” said Brady. “The Greenwood Credit Union has been very good to us, The Beacon has helped sell tickets, the Greenwood Inn, the Chamber of Commerce, they’ve been great to work with.”

Scott Seatback, a fellow Warwick Rotary Club member who is heading this year’s raffle, echoed those sentiments.

“Our rotarians, at the end of the day, these are folks that are so dedicated to the people of this community ... they’re coming out of the woodwork. This is one of the worst things that we’ve had to deal with as a society, and even during this trying time, our members are still working behind the scenes to raise funds for the city of Warwick. I’ve been pretty blown away by it, I’m so enthralled by it all,” said Seatback, who is still hopeful that the club will be able to find a new date for the gourmet gala. “It’s great to be able to still hold the raffle, this is our (fifth) year doing this and it’s an exciting thing, people really get behind us. Sadly, we had to cancel the gourmet gala which is really tough because it’s one of our major fundraisers, but we’re hoping to reschedule it down the road.”