The People Behind those Amazing Car Raffles

Back in 2018, Hank and Laurel Greer purchased a brand-new Mini Cooper for their travels around Charleston. After driving the vehicle for a few months, they realized it just wasn’t for them. Little did they know, this would lead to a groundbreaking fundraising event for Charleston Animal Society.

“We thought about just donating the car to the Animal Society,” Laurel explained. “But then we thought about it and said, ‘well, they’re not going to get that much for it.’” After talking it over, Hank and Laurel decided that the car should be raffled off. They worked with staff to launch the first-ever Charleston Animal Society car raffle and set a goal to sell 500 tickets for $100 each.

The raffle kicked off in November 2018 and sure enough, all 500 tickets were sold. The campaign raised just over $51,000 from ticket purchases and additional donations given by purchasers. The winners were Kevin & Debbie Noon from Ohio, whose daughter had purchased just one ticket for them. This was only the beginning.

UPPING THE GAME

The Greers were excited by the success and decided to go even bigger, offering brand new cars to help support the animals.

The lineup has included a BMW X3 in 2020, a Tesla Model Y in 2021, a Lexus RX 350L in 2022, a Lexus RX 350h in 2023, and this year, a Lexus TX 500h F Sport — the first model of its kind.

To date, the raffles have helped raise a whopping $1.3 million to support Charleston Animal Society’s mission to end animal cruelty.

“The most touching moment out of all the car raffles was connecting with the winner of the Tesla — he was a military service member,” Laurel said, referring to the 2021

Tesla Model Y winner John Osborne, from Hanahan. “We feel strongly about people who serve our country, and we were so happy to have someone so deserving win.”

It goes without saying that Hank and Laurel are also touched by the number of animals who are helped with the funds raised from each raffle. Their support for Charleston Animal Society is unique, and although they are involved in several other worthy causes, animals have their hearts. “We made the decision that we wanted to give back during our lifetime,” Laurel said.

“The need is now; you can give part of your legacy now,” Hank reiterated. “The animals, Charleston Animal Society — this is our passion.”