"I actually won"

Tarra Smith, an RPN in the Veterans Care unit at St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute, didn’t expect a “whole lot” from her single entry into the staff lottery. She had heard in the past about a few coworkers who’d won Whole Lotto Love, and decided to sign herself up through payroll deduction.

“I looked at all these people winning it, and I thought, maybe I’ll put just one ticket in for myself.”

But that ticket turned into a whole lot more – an extra $7,311 when hers was picked at random from the lottery drum in the May 15, 2024 draw.

“I didn’t even realize I’d won at first,” Tarra says. One of her coworkers at Veterans Care waved her over and let her know that she should check her email for some exciting news. But she ended up doing her rounds and checking on all of the residents first. When she finally read the email, she was in shock.

Tarra is one of nearly 80 staff who have won the prize so far – people from across the different hospital sites, working in a variety of roles. St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation launched Whole Lotto Love in 2021 as a fun gaming opportunity for St. Joseph’s employees. It proved to be extremely popular right away, giving people something to look forward to during the height of the pandemic.

Today, this 50/50 draw continues to pay out a jackpot to one lucky winner every other week, with the other half supporting priority patient care and research needs at St. Joseph’s. In 2022, proceeds from the lottery helped to fund the expansion of the Cyclotron & PET Radiochemistry Facility at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

The cyclotron produces radioactive isotopes – turned into radiopharmaceuticals – that are used in imaging to target disease indicators in the body. Thanks to employee support through Whole Lotto Love, additional equipment was funded to expand the facility and triple the amount of radiopharmaceuticals produced each day. This is paving the way to new studies into diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, prostate cancer and heart disease.

Last year’s lottery proceeds will be used to help upgrade breast imaging equipment in St. Joseph’s Norton & Lucille Wolf Breast Care Centre. Funds will be used to purchase new contrast-enhanced mammography systems and ultrasound units that will be able to more accurately detect cancer in breast tissue and ensure the best outcomes for patients.

Tarra is proud that her support through Whole Lotto Love is making a difference in the lives of patients and residents. As an RPN, she says the best part of her job is putting a smile on residents’ faces. She was certainly smiling when she found out about her big win. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I actually won.’ I was completely surprised.”

St. Joseph’s employees who are on payroll can learn more about enrolling in the lottery on St. Joseph’s Intranet.