Assumption's Queen of Hearts Comes to an End with $611,000 Jackpot and First-Time Winner

After months of anticipation, packed drawing nights, and a jackpot that climbed past $600,000, Assumption Catholic Parish's Queen of Hearts raffle has finally found its Queen.

And the winner's story makes the ending even more remarkable.

Gina T. won $305,581—the largest prize the raffle has awarded—and she had only purchased Queen of Hearts tickets for the first time a few days before the winning drawing.

Hundreds of people gathered at Assumption for the final drawing as the jackpot reached an incredible $611,000. After weeks of watching card after card disappear from the board, the Queen of Hearts was finally revealed.

Half of the jackpot went to Gina, while the other half will help Assumption Catholic Parish continue its efforts to replace aging air conditioning units throughout its school and parish facilities.

Her $305,581 prize is something she already has plans for.

Gina plans to put the winnings toward a trip and her retirement.

Not a bad return on a first-ever Queen of Hearts ticket.

A $611,000 Community Fundraiser

The final jackpot was the culmination of months of incredible support from the Assumption community and raffle participants throughout the region.

What began as a parish fundraiser grew into one of the area's biggest weekly community events. Hundreds of people regularly gathered for the drawings, with the weekly ice cream social becoming a tradition of its own.

As the number of cards dwindled, the crowds grew.

The jackpot climbed from week to week, eventually surpassing $500,000, then $600,000, as everyone waited to see just how far the raffle could go.

By the final drawing, the jackpot had reached approximately $611,000.

And when the Queen finally appeared, the excitement was shared by everyone in attendance.

More Than a Jackpot

The money raised will help Assumption tackle a major need: replacing more than a dozen aging air conditioning units throughout its school and parish facilities.

Each unit costs approximately $100,000, making the project a significant financial undertaking for the parish.

That means the raffle's incredible run wasn't simply about one person winning a life-changing amount of money. It also gave the parish a substantial boost toward preserving and improving the places where generations of families have worshipped, learned, and gathered together.

The Queen of Hearts Is Coming Back

While this incredible raffle has come to an end, Assumption isn't finished.

The Queen of Hearts will reopen on September 2.

A new deck. A new jackpot. A new chance for someone to find the Queen.

And after watching this raffle climb all the way to $611,000, there's no telling what the next one could become.

Congratulations to Gina on her incredible win, and congratulations to Assumption Catholic Parish on an extraordinary fundraiser that brought an entire community together.