In conjunction with its annual Tour of Homes in December, the Cancer Association of Champaign County is currently conducting a raffle for a very unique prize.
The winner of the CACC raffle will be able to create their own scene using the characters from the long-running comic strip “Dennis the Menace,” which appears each day in the Urbana Daily Citizen.
Ron Ferdinand, who has drawn the Sunday “Dennis the Menace” strip for over 30 years, will draw and sign a color 8×10 original piece featuring the characters from the strip and the theme requested by the raffle winner.
The drawing will be matted and framed to a size of 11×14.
“It’s an honor to be associated with CACC,” said Ferdinand, who lives in New York state. “The services they provide are of inestimable value.”
Created by Hank Ketcham, the “Dennis the Menace” comic strip debuted in 16 newspapers on March 12, 1951.
The strip now appears in over 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and is distributed by King Features Syndicate.
“Hank Ketcham and ‘Dennis the Menace’ were always out there on the front lines for organizations such as CACC and it’s a privilege to continue the tradition,” said Ferdinand.
Raffle tickets ($1 each, six for $5) are available at all Champaign County banks and credit unions and the Urbana Daily Citizen office. CACC board members also have tickets available to sell.
The winner of the raffle will be drawn during the Tour of Homes on Dec. 2.
The CACC has about 180 active patients, many of whom receive assistance on a monthly basis, in an amount up to $300.
“We pay for treatments and prescriptions (after insurance) and for gas cards. Our patients who must go for treatment every day for several weeks really appreciate the gas cards,” said Eileen James, who is president of the CACC board of directors.
“This is a wonderful community that reaches out to help those in need, no matter what the reason. I love this raffle! I know the community will dazzle me with their response to this raffle,” she added.
For more information, call the CACC at 927-653-3899.
