By Kelly Burns
ince the first St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway in 1991, our community has turned out year after year to buy the $100 tickets and support the sacred mission of St. Jude Research Hospital, which is finding cures and saving children. Tickets for the 2022 KTBS 3 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway are on sale now with prize drawings to be held on Sept. 14.
The origins of the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway began in Shreveport more than three decades ago when local and beloved pediatrician Dr. Donald Mack came up with the concept for the fundraiser. By partnering with KTBS for help with ticket sales and fundraising efforts, the first giveaway raised $160,000. “And we were thrilled with that!” recalls Jan Elkins, KTBS’s community projects coordinator. “Now, it is 32 years later, and we are so proud to put our stamp on this project. With the help and generosity of the Ark-La-Tex, the KTBS 3 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway has given more than $38 million to St. Jude.”
Families whose children receive care at St. Jude do not receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. That kind of financial relief is essential for families who are already dealing with the shock of their child’s diagnosis, Elkins said. “People never think their child is going to have cancer. Parents never believe that they will be St. Jude parents or that their child will be a St. Jude patient. But when it happens, they are very thankful for a place called St. Jude.” She added, “When a person donates, they are donating for the future. Because if there is ever a cure for cancer, I suspect that it will come from St. Jude.”
This year’s dream home is located at 741 Duckwater Landing in the Duckwater Landing subdivision in Bossier City. Rodgers Homes and Construction, which has been involved and continued to build homes since the first fundraiser, built the 3,000 square foot home that is valued at $650,000 and includes:
- 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
- Open floor plan with formal dining room, breakfast space and oversized island
- Spacious primary suite with windowed sitting area
- Large second story space perfect for media/gaming room
- Outdoor patio with living space, grilling station and motorized screen
- Smart home functions
Open house tours will be offered Aug. 11 – Sept. 13, and visitors can register for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree at Ivan Smith Furniture. Other prizes to be given away in the drawing include a $10,000 Visa gift card, a 2022 Honda Recon ATV, a 2022 Mazda CX-5 SUV, and a $5,000 gift card to Shane’s Seafood & BarBQ.
Dr. Mack passed away earlier this year at the age of 90, but the fundraiser he helped establish has grown nationally to include more than forty Dream Home Giveaways across the country and has helped raise more than $460 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.