For the first time since 2019, people will be able to see in person all the items being raffled in baskets at Butler Memorial Hospital for the annual Caring Angel Basket Raffle.

Well, almost all of the items.

“This year we are having a shed being donated for $3,000,” said Kris Bowser, development and events manager for the Butler Health System Foundation. “They're not just in basket form, it's all kinds of things. We have washers and dryers, camping equipment, larger items.”

This will be the 25th year the foundation is hosting the Caring Angel Basket Raffle, which raises money for family services at Butler Health System and a charitable fund drawn upon for emergency room visits by children ages 17 and younger who don't have the insurance or resources to pay for the visit.

The bidding took place virtually the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, leading Bowser to predict that this year’s raffle will be one of the most popular in some time.

“It was so exciting when people walk in the room and experience it and view all the baskets,” Bowser said. “I think this year being that we're open again there is going to be a lot of excitement.”

The baskets available for the raffle are assembled by different departments within Butler Health System, which each gather money and donations to put up a basket, Bowser said.

Maria Bocian, senior system analyst for Butler Health System, said her department typically picks a theme for its basket, and the presents inside all match it.

“In 2019, right before we got out new electronic medical records, the department voted on an ‘Expanse space theme,’” Bocian said. “We had things like Carnegie Museum family passes, a telescope, constellation books, Lego Star Wars sets.”

During the last in-person raffle in 2019, ticket sales raised more than $80,000, and the 50/50 raised more than $30,000, according to Bowser.

Bowser said each department that participates is happy to be a part of the fundraising.

“It was started to provide medical care to children coming through the emergency room,” Bowser said. “It was a way for employees to engage and be part of the fundraising efforts.”

Bocian said the staff within her department are always generous when it comes to the basket raffle. The average dollar value of her department’s baskets is $800, but she said she has had some worth $1,500 because the department can save all year long for the event. This year, the theme for the basket is a “Gadget Guru,” and contains a number of households electronic items.

The staff is especially giving, she said, because of the cause the money raised through the raffle.

“It's a good cause and something especially around the holidays,” Bocian said. “Children are the focus, so I think it's a good opportunity to raise money for that because we're reminded how many children are in need.”

The baskets can be bid on from Thursday, Dec. 1 through Thursday, Dec. 8 in the Nixon Sarver Classrooms in Butler Memorial Hospital. The rooms will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on the weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend. Basket tickets cost $10 for 25, and the 50/50 ticket prices is $10 for 10.

Winners will be notified following the drawing and pick-up arrangements will be coordinated for Sunday, Dec. 11 between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For information on the raffle, visit butlerhealthsystem.org.