Picking the winning ticket in Friday morning’s raffle at Immaculate Conception Church and School that gave away a Chevrolet Equinox was Sixth Grader Aleah Gonya, with help from Father Jonathon Wight. (Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan)

BY D’ARCY PATRICK EGAN

The students at VIP Day at Immaculate Conception Church and School in Port Clinton on Friday morning after Holy Mass relished the donuts and orange juice, Janice Baehrens of Port Clinton received a beautiful new Chevrolet Equinox from O’Brien Chevrolet, and Father Jonathon Wight and Sixth Grader Aleah Gonya plucked her winning raffle ticket from the shiny drum to give the church and school a healthy financial gift.

Baehrens and her husband live in Port Clinton, and had invested in a $50 raffle ticket on the nifty new car. When her winning ducat was drawn, it puzzled parishioners. No one seemed to know who she was, since she wasn’t in attendance and her winning ticket only contained her first name and cell phone number.

Immaculate Conception students enjoyed donuts and orange juice at VIP Day on Friday. (Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan)

There were only 1,000 tickets sold to benefit Immaculate Conception Church and School, so officials had little trouble locating the winner. The funds will now help the school to expand to sixth grade this year, and seventh and eighth grade classes in the coming years.

Earning lots of church blessings were Patrick O’Brien and his wife, Kati, who are Immaculate Conception parishioners — and O’Brien is the owner of Firelands Auto Group. He has donated shiny new Chevrolets to other churches and groups to boost their fundraisers, and relished the chance to benefit his home parish.