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When Nicki Payne-Barradas sent her daughter into KIA of LaGrange for an oil change and two raffle tickets for a charity drawing, she had no idea she would end up with the winning ticket for a brand new 2021 Soul S or that she would be helping hundreds of people in her community.

“[My daughter said] Mama, you’re not going to win, and I said that’s alright it’s going to a good cause,” Barradas, a Hyundai employee, said Monday when she went to pick up her new car at KIA.

Barradas ticket was one of over 500 that were bought for the raffle, the money of which went to the West Georgia chapter of Safe Families, an organization that partners with area churches to assist with residents’ child care, transportation and necessity needs.

A total of $26,750 was raised for the organization, which amounts to roughly a quarter of its annual budget, said Nicole Spivey, outreach liaison with Safe Families.

“Not only have we been able to receive the funds, but the awareness alone for Safe Families is amazing,” she said. “We’ve had so many people ask us about our program and how they can volunteer or get involved. At the end of the day, I think that’s the most important thing.”

Todd Parrish, general manager of KIA of LaGrange, thanked organizations such as Elite Marketing for their support in getting the word out about the drawing. He noted that KIA holds events like the raffle often and is always looking for ways to help the community.

“There’s a lot of things going on in our world right now, but being able to help somebody in your local economy and in your local economy…it’s exciting,” Parrish said. 

For more information about Safe Families, visit https://www.twincedars.org/program/sffc/