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Park City Sailing hosts huge sweepstakes

The winner can win a Tesla, sailboat or prize money

Pictured above is a Tesla S, the potential grand prize that Park City Sailing will be giving away in September at its Fall Regatta. The winner, who will be chosen on Sept. 30, will also have the option to choose a J/70 speedster sailboat.
Photo courtesy of Park City Sailing

Park City Sailing has grown much since its inception in 2008, but it’s still aiming to obtain a bigger presence in the community.

In order to aid in that effort, the local program, who serviced over 1,500 people for sailing purposes last summer, is in the middle of a five-month long fundraising sweepstakes, in which the winner will walk away with a brand new Tesla S Sedan or a J/70 speedster sailboat.

“It’s just something that we wanted to do,” President and Founder of the Park City Sailing Association Geoff Hurwitch said. “Obviously, raising money is pretty important for a nonprofit. I think we all felt that we wanted to do something different and fun. We were all excited about the idea of a car and then we wanted to speak to the people that tend to be Park City Sailing customers.

“We use boats pushed by the wind, so we immediately thought an electric car. We wanted to do something that, when you’re giving your money to support a nonprofit, that somebody gets to benefit by it.”

The sweepstakes began on April 27, but for those interested in winning the futuristic Tesla, the event will continue till Sept. 30. On the same night, Park City Sailing will be in the middle of its Fall Regatta, where it will perform the drawing and pick a winner. The drawing will be broadcast on Facebook Live.

The fundraising efforts have gotten off to a great start, Hurwitch said. Park City Sailing had raised $6,010, as of Tuesday morning. With roughly four months to go, the goal for Hurwitch and company is to reach the $125,000 mark.

If for some reason Park City Sailing doesn’t meet its minimum goal, which provides for the car and contributes to the program, those who make donations shouldn’t fret; there will still be a prize.

“If we don’t reach that, then what will happen is we’ll deduct the fixed expenses, which are pretty nominal, plus the hosting fees, and then the pool of cash would be split between the winner and Park City Sailing,” Hurwitch said. “So there will be a winner no matter what.”

In another effort to expand the pool of donations, Park City Sailing has opened up this sweepstakes to the national sailing community.

“We’ve had a number of people buy tickets from around the country,” Hurwitch said. “You don’t have to be present to win, which is great. People in Massachusetts or wherever, when they’re buying they’re tickets, they can just sit back and put their feet up and hope that they get that car.”

In addition to making one lucky winner very happy, Park City Sailing will also benefit from the major sweepstakes. Hurwitch’s vision is the program will be able to run this type of fundraiser for the next couple of years, with each year upping the previous year’s grand prize.

By the time these efforts are concluded, Park City Sailing hopes to use the money raised to become an official U.S. Sailing certified community boating center, which means the nonprofit can be open all the time for people to stop in and go sailing.

“A lot of it has to do with the infrastructure, being able to provide a good home to the public,” Hurwitch said of becoming certified. “Part of that has to do with the fundraising we’re doing and part of that has to do with the relationship we have with the parks, which is a very good relationship. We just have to make it more official. That’s something we’re working on.

“Otherwise, we’re already there.”

As the Fall Regatta and the drawing get closer, those who donate will be anxious to see who wins the car, boat or prize money. Though the pool is open to anyone around the country, Hurwitch hopes the prize stays in house, so to speak.

“We feel like it’s just a fun thing for Park City and we really hope someone from Park City buys tickets and wins, so we can see them driving around town in the car,” Hurwitch said. “That would be great to be within our community.”

Park City Sailing’s first major event of the season will be its Sail-a-Palooza on Saturday, June 3, at the Jordanelle Reservoir. The event is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. For more information on the fundraising sweepstakes, go to https://parkcitysailing.tapkat.org/floatyourboat/tickets.


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