Ronald McDonald needs your help, and the Auburn area has already gotten the ball rolling.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities program, which offers housing to families with children in medical crises, is offering a Dream House Raffle. The home being raffled off to a lucky winner is located in the Vineyard subdivision in Auburn.

“We are so excited because this is a great way for the community to raise funds, and to bring awareness (to the Ronald McDonald House Charities),” said Stacey Hodge, director of community relations for Ronald McDonald House Charities in Northern California.

For $150 per raffle ticket, participants raise funds for the charity while at the same time entering for a chance to win a fully furnished, five-bedroom, 5,760-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa on 1.7 acres. Total, the property is valued at $1.9 million.

Those interested can get tickets now until May 15, with the grand prize winner being picked on May 30.

The house became available to the foundation through a family that wishes to remain anonymous.

“They came to our attention and were very generous and helped us with the raffle,” Hodge said.

If the house isn’t your cup of tea, grand prize winners may opt for a cash prize of $1.5 million.

Thirty-three thousand raffle tickets will be sold from now until May 15, and can be purchased by any U.S. citizen, age 18 years or older, in any part of the country. The proceeds from this raffle will go toward the Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern California branch to help support the Sacramento Ronald McDonald House and Camp Ronald McDonald at Eagle Lake near Susanville.

While local McDonald’s restaurants contribute to the Ronald McDonald House Charities program, which is celebrating its 10th year in Sacramento, the majority of the program depends on donations and raffles such as this one for funding.

“This raffle is a great opportunity for the community to get involved,” said Jake Mossawir, a representative for local-area McDonald’s franchises. “We support the Ronald McDonald House Charities, but don’t fully fund them. They look to fundraisers like this one.”

While the home or the $1.5 million in cash are the grand prizes, the raffle will offer 330 cash prizes overall, ranging in price from $300 to $25,000. Odds of winning a prize worth at least $300 or more are one-in-100. Those who buy multiple tickets are eligible for a drawing worth $40,000 in luxury prizes.

Early bird drawings for other prizes begin on Jan 30, with five more early bid drawings going all the way until the deadline for the grand prize on May 15.

To buy a ticket or get more information, call (888) 422-0221, or download the entry form online at www.sacramentoraffle.com.

The Journal’s Andrew DiLuccia can be reached at andrewd@goldcountrymedia.com, or post a comment at Auburnjournal.com.

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Want to buy tickets?

Call:(888)422-0221

Go online to: www.sacramentoraffle.com.

WHAT COMES WITH YOUR DREAM HOME

Large gourmet kitchen

Multiple flat-screen TVs

Bidet in the master bathroom

Fireplace in the master bedroom

Built-in animal cubby with gate

High ceilings