Suzanne Gammon
Tribune
After supporting the Health Sciences North 50/50 draw for several years just out of a desire to contribute to northern healthcare services, a West Nipissing couple was finally rewarded in a very big way. Earlier this month, Thérèse and Dale Ackerland of Verner were announced as the big winners of the December grand prize of $1,041,848.
Dale got the call while at his brother’s house and, in a video posted by the Health Sciences North (HSN) Foundation, he seems in disbelief at first. After joking that he buys tickets regularly and “you guys never call”, he’s told “it’s funny you should say that” because that fateful call is happening. Asked if he knows where the 50/50 jackpot stands, the winner says it was over $900K the last time he checked, but then learns that it crossed the million dollar mark, making him a millionaire.
“I don’t know what to say,” he manages as he gets a pen to write down the staggering amount so he can tell his wife Thérèse when he gets home. Once there, he hands her the piece of paper and says “we got a call.” As Thérèse recounts the surreal moment, she says “it’s still sinking in.”
With a little time to digest the news, the Ackerlands say that they were happy to buy tickets for the draws just to support the cause – something they had been doing regularly since 2020. “Win or lose, it doesn’t really matter for these 50/50s, because you know where the money’s going,” Dale states. “All our family doctors are in Sudbury basically,” so it was money well spent either way. He adds that the HSN Foundation always informs the public as to what the money raised is spent on. “That’s great. Healthcare is getting more and more important. We’ve got an aging population and hospitals, they’re not overfunded by any stretch of the imagination,” he points out.
Thrilled with their million dollar windfall, in the end the local couple is just as happy that Health Sciences North got its own million dollar payout from the draw – and that’s a win for all northerners who rely on health services in Sudbury.
