City man stunned by CRH Foundation truck lottery win

Jim Sazalski is cruising in style as this year’s winner of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation (CRHF) truck raffle.

In fact, the 71-year old Lethbridge native spoke to the Herald over the Bluetooth calling system from his brand new 2025 Ford F-150 XLT Super Crew Cab yesterday afternoon (Sep. 17) as he drove it off the College Ford Lincoln lot for the first time.

Sazalski’s new ride is valued at a whopping $77,000.

He says he couldn’t believe what he was hearing when the CRHF called him last week to tell him the good news.

“I said, ‘Baloney! Who is this?’,” Sazalski recalled. “They asked me to come to the office at the hospital. The whole drive over there I was thinking to myself, ‘Who is pulling this elaborate hoax on me?’, but it’s no hoax!”

There are a lot more buttons and technology to learn about in this new truck compared to his previous 1992 Ford F-150 that Sazalski says he just sold last month.

Sazalski has been a long-time donor to the CRHF, purchasing truck raffle tickets for several years in a row.

“The hospital has done a lot for my family over the years and I al-

ways support them. This year, I was lucky enough to win!”

Indeed, Sazalski was the grand prize winner out of 16,734 total tickets sold. More than $219,000 were raised this year which will help fund advanced equipment, innova- tive programs and compassionate care at Chinook Regional Hospital (CRH).

“Together, we raised approxi- mately $30,000 more than last year – an outstanding achievement that will directly enhance patient care and make a lasting difference for families across southern Alberta,” according to Crystal Elliott, CRHF CEO.

“We are so grateful to everyone who purchased a ticket and helped make this success possible.”