Pine Peace School is holding a raffle that offers an Extreme-ly good deal for some lucky holder of a $10 ticket.
Top prize is a new and fully loaded Chevy S-10 Extreme pickup truck with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $18,400. Second prize will be a five-night stay at the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort on St. Thomas. And third prize will be $500 in cash.
The purpose of the raffle is to raise funds to complete the school library and computer center. Winners are to be drawn on May 20 at the school's annual end-of-year barbecue at Skinny Legs in Coral Bay.
There are some alternatives to the announced top prize. If you are the top winner and you don't want the truck, Caribbean Auto Mart on St. Thomas "will sell the truck on their lot and give you a check for the full selling price — $14,000 to $15,000," a release from the school states. Or you can apply the suggested retail price to the purchase of any other vehicle on the lot of equal or greater value.
The raffle is being promoted via the school's Internet web site and is open to anyone anywhere. Should the first prize winner not live in the Virgin Islands, the release says, "Tropical Shipping will ship the truck to Miami, Fla., where you then must make arrangements for pick-up!"
And for those not interested in a new truck or a stay at a resort or even cold cash, the web site promo adds, "Well, how about just helping our school and community finish our first library and computer center?"
Pine Peace development director Steve Walker encourages those who can do so to stop by the school in person to get their tickets so they can also take a quick guided tour of "how the computer center and library are coming along." (For some "before" images, check out the web site given below.)
The library and lab are intended to serve the community as well as Pine Peace students, Walker explains. "We'll be open at night for both adults and children, offering low-cost computer courses and bridging the digital divide" by providing exposure for people who haven't spent much time on a computer. The lab has 9 IBM-compatible PC's and 13 I-Macs and Power PC's on-line and networked for teaching, he said.
Those wanting to buy raffle tickets have about as many options as the person who has the winning ticket for the truck. You can get them in person at the school (located in Estate Susannaberg), St. John Hardware and Connections. You can order them by mail, sending a check or money order to Pine Peace School, PO Box 1657 Cruz Bay, St. John VI 00831. You can get them with a charge card by calling the school development office at 776-6495. Or you can get them from students who will be out selling them at various times by the Rolling Pin Bakery, Starfish Market and the ferry dock.
On St. Thomas, they'll be available just inside the main entrance to Tutu Park Mall on Saturday, April 29, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Pine Peace School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For further information about the raffle, click on Extreme Raffle or call 776- 6495.
