A Grand Island woman has been announced as the winner of the Nebraska State Fair 1868 Foundation’s inaugural truck raffle on Monday.
Jenny Leyva purchased just one $25 raffle ticket on Sunday evening right before the raffle closed in hopes of winning the 2023 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab RST truck. Monday morning, at 9 a.m., Lindsey Koepke, 1868 Foundation executive director, and Jaime Parr, Nebraska State Fair executive director, phoned Leyva to let her know her name was drawn as the official raffle winner.
“She was beyond excited when we called her but at the same time, I think she thought it might have been a prank phone call,” said Koepke. “We gave her a few minutes to process that she had won, then phoned her again to set up details for accepting the truck.”
Presentation of the keys to the new truck took place at Earl May Fair Square at 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon.
“We couldn’t be happier for Ms. Leyva,” said Terry Galloway, chairman of the 1868 Foundation board of directors. “In addition to raising funds for the 1868 Foundation, our main goal was to see one lucky Nebraskan drive away from their State Fair in a brand new truck.”
“Long lasting memories are made at the Nebraska State Fair and there’s no doubt Ms. Leyva and her family will remember this special memory for years to come,” said Koepke.
Funds from the 1868 Foundation’s Truck Raffle will be directed towards future improvements for the Nebraska State Fair, which includes funding for capital improvements, programming and for increased premiums for 4-H and FFA youth participating in the annual fair.
The purpose of the Nebraska State Fair 1868 Foundation is to raise funds and resources for improvements, renovations and revitalizations for the Nebraska State Fair. The Foundation is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization. For more information about the Nebraska State Fair 1868 Foundation, visit www.1868foundation.org.
