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Steve and Susan Hurley receive a proclamation from the City of Plant City.
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Unity in the Community presented Steve and Susan Hurley with a plaque.
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Teo Kulyk hams it up for the cameras.
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Vice Mayor Nate Kilton hands Teo Kulyk the keys to his new Corvette.
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The 2019 raffle raised a record $228,000.
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The Kulyk family couldn't wait to take the Corvette for a ride.
Plant City resident Teo Kulyk couldn’t have been happier when Vice Mayor Nate Kilton handed him the keys to his brand new Corvette on Thursday.
Kulyk, who won the 2019 Unity in the Community/Stingray Chevrolet raffle having bought just one of more than 40,000 tickets in the hopper, and his two grandsons grinned from ear to ear. None of them could wait to take a ride in the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray he’d just received.
“The Corvette is a car that all boys, young and old, dream of owning… my grandsons are just as excited as I am,” Kulyk said.
Though he won a Corvette Z06 with a custom Sebring Orange paint job, Kulyk wasn’t so keen on the idea of owning that particular car. He decided to trade down to an icy white 2019 Stingray, a speed demon in its own right with a smaller price tag. Stingray Chevrolet owner Steve Hurley also handed him a check for $24,404 to cover the difference between the two cars.
The Unity/Stingray raffle has a habit of one-upping itself every year, and 2019 was no exception. This raffle broke its own record yet again with $228,000 raised. That’s about $21,000 more than in 2018. Hurley credited Unity in the Community members, especially Sharon Moody, for their tireless work with the raffle and also shouted out Tampa Bay-area radio stations for their advertising. Hurley said a spot on Mike Calta’s morning show featuring himself and Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis generated $4,000 in online sales by itself.
The raffle has now raised close to $1.5 million in its 10-year existence.
“No matter how much it is, we consider it a great success,” Hurley said of the funds raised.
The car presentation also served as a way to praise nearly everyone involved with the raffle. Kilton and City Commissioner Mike Sparkman presented Steve and Susan Hurley with a proclamation on behalf of the city, calling the couple “model citizens and timeless examples of the highest standards of citizenship.” Unity also presented the Hurleys with a plaque. The Hurleys, meanwhile, presented bouquets and plaques to those involved with promoting and volunteering with the raffle, from Unity members and the Florida Strawberry Festival to the radio stations in attendance.
