Embarking on a new life together, one young Calgary couple now has 785,000 reasons to smile.
Candace Boychuk, 26, and her fiancé Adam Paolucci, 28, thought they would take their chances on a $20 Rotary Dream Home ticket during the 2009 Calgary Stampede.
They never thought in a million years they would win the beautifully furnished $785,000 dream home.
“When I got the call I thought for sure it was a joke. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t really believe it,” Boychuk said, adding the couple didn’t even look at the house when they entered the draw.
The young couple, who have been together 10 months but have known each other years, moved into the 2,300-square-foot home in the new southeast community of Walden Thursday. The house includes a double garage, yard with a kids’ playground, three bedrooms with a loft and much more.
“We’re just thrilled, grateful, overwhelmed … this is incredible. I had shaky knees and a racing heart the first time we walked in here,” Paolucci said.
The couple is planning to marry next year and said they will start a new life together in the home and plan to stay for a long time.
“This is a really a dream come true, a dream beginning,” Paolucci added.
Stampede committee chair Shane Simmons said he was thrilled for the young couple to win the grand prize.
“The winners aren’t the only ones that benefit from the Calgary Stampede Lotteries. This year we’re re-investing more than one million back into the community from the proceeds,” he said.
