ACE OF SPADES FOUND!
Ben McFadden of Lake St. Peter got the phone call of a lifetime when he discovered he had found the Ace of Spades in Week 22 of the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation’s (SFVHF) Catch the Ace lottery.
Ben’s ticket that he purchased online was drawn during the Thursday, February 19, 2026 draw, earning him the weekly prize of $1,658. When his selected envelope #25 was opened, the Ace of Spades was revealed, unlocking the progressive jackpot of $38,880. His total winnings came to $40,538.
A retired resident who has called Lake St. Peter home for 21 years, Ben and his wife now enjoy retirement full-time in the community. The couple are originally from Kitchener and were thrilled by the win.
“We’ve never won anything like this before,” Ben shared.
The prize money will go toward the couple’s travel fund, with a trip to Mexico already planned.
The McFaddens receive care locally from Dr. Ostapowicz, and Ben says St. Francis Memorial Hospital is their home hospital - making this win especially meaningful. Proceeds from Catch the Ace benefit local healthcare needs at St. Francis Memorial Hospital (SFMH), Madawaska Valley Hospice Palliative Care (MVHPC), and Valley Manor.
Over the 22-week lottery, a total of 12,960 tickets were sold, raising $55,540 in net proceeds for local healthcare. Tickets were available at a variety of local businesses including: Whitney Pharmacy, Round Lake Centre Food Market, Round Lake Country Store, Killaloe Village Pharmacy, Killaloe Hardware, The Cottage Cup, Barry’s Bay Ultramar, Lorraine’s Pharmasave, Barry’s Bay Shell, CO Country Market, Eganville Shell, Conway’s Pharmacy and the Eganville Country Depot. A special thanks to the St. Francis Memorial Hospital Auxiliary for selling tickets as well. This widespread support helped make the lottery a success in the community.
Catch the Ace is a progressive raffle lottery featuring multiple weekly draws. 20% of weekly ticket sales are awarded as the weekly prize, 30% are added to the progressive jackpot and 50% support the St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation, funding local healthcare needs.
The lottery’s success is driven by a dedicated core group of 11 volunteers who help deliver and collect ticket pouches and reconcile sales each week. This lottery alone, they travelled approximately 270 kilometres weekly - totalling 5,940 kilometres over 22 weeks, nearly the distance from Victoria to Halifax.
With strong community support and dedicated volunteers, Catch the Ace continues to strengthen healthcare close to home - one draw at a time.
Stay tuned for an announcement on our next lottery.
