Now in its 24th year, the Lake County YMCA is currently selling tickets for its 2017 Lake County YMCA Dream House, a beautiful contemporary home at 5295 SOM Center Road in Willoughby. It’s one of the largest homes ever offered by the annual fundraising event, which gives one very lucky person the chance to win the home of their dreams. This year, there will actually be two prize drawings, one for the 2017 Dream House, and a second for a brand-new 2017 Chevrolet Malibu.
“This house has more than 3,500 square feet of living space upstairs and almost 1,500 square feet of living space below,” says Dick Fraser, Dream House committee chair, and owner of Fraser Video Productions in Painesville.
The house has an open plan on the first floor that flows from the kitchen through a morning room into a great room. There’s a dining room just off the hall, and even a pub room.
“We also have an artist’s studio at the front of the house, which is something new for us,” says Karen Krauss, Dream House design team coordinator and owner of Karen E Krauss Designs in Painesville. Krauss co-chaired interior design with Kate Weaver of Faux What? in Mentor. “There are also some very unique spaces downstairs, including a yoga/meditation room, a gym and something which we labeled as a pet retreat.”
There are four bedrooms upstairs, including a large master suite and a second-floor laundry room.
Tickets cost $15 each, or $13 each if you buy three or more. When you buy three or more, you get a ticket for the car drawing as well. But you have to buy at least three to get the car ticket.
Tours start daily on July 1 and
run through Aug. 6. An initial drawing will choose 20 house semifinalists and 10 car semifinalists on Wednesday, Aug. 9, with the drawing for the car and the house taking place on Sunday, Aug. 13.
Knez Homes of Concord Township is the builder, with Guhde Flooring America, Bradley Stone and Mont Granite of Solon among the many vendors that have contributed to the 2017 Dream House. The car is being supplied by Classic Chevrolet and the Chevy Network.
Remember, when you buy a ticket, you’re actually helping an organization that helps others.
“What a lot of people don’t realize is that the Lake County YMCA doesn’t turn people away for an inability to pay,” says Dick Bennett, CEO of the Lake County YMCA, which includes branches in Madison, Painesville and Willoughby as well as its Outdoor Family Center in Perry. “The Dream House not only helps us make enhancements to existing programs, but also makes a lot of programs and facilities available to people who might not be able to afford something else.”
Last year, the Lake County YMCA gave away more than $924,000 in membership and program assistance for those in need. If you’d like to help them out with a Dream House ticket purchase, you just might get rewarded in a fashion that is sure to change your life.
