Montague Elks Lodge fundraiser to support Erving man’s hospital bills

By JULIAN MENDOZA

Staff Writer

Published: 03-09-2023 2:43 PM

MONTAGUE — The Montague Elks Lodge will host live music and a pasta dinner on Saturday to raise money for the family of Andy Hill, an Erving resident who is recovering from a brain aneurysm he suffered in January.

Jodi Winter-Chaplin, who organized the fundraiser alongside a group of Hill’s friends and family, said while Hill is making a swift recovery, his hospital bills will amount to thousands of dollars. One ambulance ride alone cost $4,000, according to Winter-Chaplin. The fundraiser looks to offset these expenses, with donations gathered through a $15 dinner, raffles and a lottery ticket board.

Hill, a merchandiser for Coca-Cola, collapsed after “he experienced weakness in his legs and dizziness” while working a shift at Big Y on Jan. 3, Winter-Chaplin recalled. He was rushed to Baystate Franklin Medical Center before being transferred to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he received surgery the next day. He spent the next two weeks in the intensive care unit before being released from the hospital on Jan. 21.

“He’s actually a walking miracle,” Winter-Chaplin said. “He’s well on his way to recovery.”

Doors open at the Elks Lodge, located at 1 Elks Ave., at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Dinner will be served from 5 to 6 p.m. Local rock band AfterGlo will provide live entertainment from 6 to 9 p.m. with a cover charge of $5.

There will be at least 50 raffle baskets, with tickets priced at $7 per 25-ticket sheet, or $10 for two sheets. Attendees can also buy $10 tickets to enter a “big ticket raffle,” with prizes including a Mount Snow ski resort gift package valued at $650, a paddle board, a golf bag, a snowboard helmet valued at $400, an autographed New England Patriots jersey, a Pelican cooler, a basket of gift certificates to local eateries valued at $300, and a grill. Other contests include a lottery ticket board valued at $100, an envelope game and a 50/50 raffle.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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