A metro woman has officially been handed the cheque for the VOCM Cares 50/50 draw.

The draw, held before Christmas, saw a surge in the number of people buying tickets in the final day—with the grand total growing from about $40,000 that morning to over $155,000 when sales ended that night.

Elva Philpott of Mount Pearl bought the lucky ticket, taking home $77,735.

Getting the phone call that she had won, live on Your VOCM Mornings, was quite literally a wakeup call she wasn’t expecting.

Philpott says she was in Alberta visiting her daughter at the time, and it was about 5 a.m. there when she received the call. She says it took a few minutes for everything to sink in.

VOCM Cares Board Chair Blair Patrick says the foundation’s share of the funds will be put to good use.

He says it will be put toward all sorts of programs—such as Kids Eat Smart and seniors groups.