If you didn't win last year's Charity Corvette, it's a whole new year and there's a beautiful red 1995 Corvette ready for you to drive home in - if you buy a raffle ticket and win. The car, in pristine condition, has only 22,760 miles on it.

The Bluffton Lions Foundation launched its 2011 Charity Corvette raffle event last week. The Foundation, through its signature program, the Charity Corvette Raffle, continues to raise thousands of dollars for charities in Bluffton and the surrounding area. This is the second year of the raffle program.

The Charity Corvette raffle concept has proven to be a successful event by raising $25,000 for charity in 2010.

In 2011 the Corvette raffle program hopes to raise $50,000 to help more charities. For specific information on the raffle check out both websites: www.blufftonlions.org and www.blufftonlionsfoundation.org

To view a video of the unveiling of this year's Corvette click here.

The Bluffton Lions Foundation Charity Corvette raffle is modeled after a Pottsville, Pa., Lions event. That community developed a very successful Corvette raffle program. Over a 15-year period it generated over $100,000 to participating charities each year.

"We believe this is an attainable goal in the future for the Bluffton Lions Foundation's charity raffle program," said Dick Ramseyer of the Bluffton Lions Foundation.

"The Bluffton Lions has been making a positive impact on our community and surrounding area through many service projects for over 77 years," he added. "We also realized, due to the down turn in the economy, our local charities as well as those in other communities need to find additional sources of revenue to maintain their programs. Against this background the Bluffton Lions decided to lend a helping hand through a broader service approach."

The goal was to develop a fundraising program that would especially help charities in our community and surrounding counties, to secure the needed financial revenue during these challenging times to sustain their important programs.

"This goal was achieved through the development of the Bluffton Lions Foundation's Charity Corvette raffle. A concept that fits well with the Lions motto of, 'we serve' and is a signature program of the Bluffton Lions Foundation," said Ramseyer.

Persons interested in raffle tickets will have plenty of opportunities to purchase as many as they wish. This year's car will be displayed at several area festivals this year. The drawing will take place later this year.

Locally it assists the Bluffton Pedestrian and Bike Pathway
Bluffton Lions Foundation is also a public charity and its revenue generated through this program will be used for the development of a Bluffton Pedestrian & Bike pathway through and around Bluffton. The Corvette raffle is a program where 100% of all the financial resources raised goes to public charities.

History of Bluffton Lions
Bluffton Lions have a long history of supporting community projects. One of the oldest organizations in the community, the club was chartered in 1934 by Lions clubs International which is the world's largest humanitarian service club organization with 45,000 clubs and 1.35 million members. It formed as a community service club to create and foster a spirit of cooperation for the needed programs in the community.

The club has 75 members and meetings twice monthly at 11:50 a.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month at Maple Crest Senior Village, Bluffton.