Ruston Rotary is kicking off its annual fall fundraiser, offering participants a chance to win a 2026 Honda Pioneer 700-4 and 12-foot trailer while supporting community service projects throughout Ruston and Lincoln Parish.
Raffle tickets are $10, with proceeds helping fund the club’s numerous service projects.
“Ruston Rotary Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year is our annual raffle, and this year, we’re thrilled to be raffling off a Honda Pioneer 700-4 side-by-side, generously donated by Team Karl Malone and Karl Malone Toyota,” Ruston Rotary Club President Ruby Pye said. “Tickets are $10, and every dollar goes to supporting our important service projects right here in our community. The raffle is a way to give back, and we are grateful for the continued support of our friends and neighbors.”
The fundraiser is a coordinated effort involving Team Karl Malone, Karl Malone Toyota and the Ruston Rotary Club.
Rusty Wilfong, service manager at Karl Malone Toyota and a Rotarian, said the four-seat Honda Pioneer can be used for riding trails, enjoying the outdoors or working around the house.
“Team Karl Malone, Karl Malone Toyota and Ruston Rotary are working together to raise funds and give back to the community,” Wilfong said.
Proceeds from the raffle support a variety of Ruston Rotary’s community service efforts.
Among those is the Backpack Food Program, which began under the direction of the late Rotarian Allen Tuten 19 years ago. The program provides bags of food for students to take home for the weekend. Students needing nutritional assistance are selected by their teachers. The program is now under the direction of United Way in coordination with Super 1 Foods.
Ruston Rotary also sponsors Coats for Kids, which provides more than 275 coats to students in need at Lincoln Parish elementary schools. Carolyn Banks chairs the project.
The club will also distribute more than 350 dictionaries to local third-graders this year.
“The joy and smile on the faces of the children that receive their very own dictionary makes this project worthwhile,” said Roy Hennigan, chairman of the dictionary project.
Education is another focus for the club. Ruston Rotary provides five $2,000 scholarships to high school seniors planning to attend college, along with a $2,000 scholarship to a Delta Community College student learning a trade.
During the Christmas season, the club provides more than 200 gift bags to residents of two Ruston nursing homes, including games, puzzles, coloring books and word-search books.
Other Rotary efforts include participating in MedCamps of Louisiana’s annual Fall Bash at Camp Alabama north of Choudrant and providing scholarships for Lincoln Parish high school juniors to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Award camp at the Outdoor Wilderness Learning Center in Dubach.
The club also recognizes area high school seniors throughout the school year, inviting students from Ruston High, Choudrant High, Lincoln Preparatory School, Simsboro High and Cedar Creek School to speak about their high school careers and future college plans.
Tickets for the Honda Pioneer and trailer can be purchased from Ruston Rotary members and at locations where the club displays the side-by-side and trailer around the city.
Tickets are also available at the Karl Malone Toyota service department or by calling Rusty Wilfong at 318-265-0985.
The drawing will be held Nov. 4 during Ruston Rotary’s regular noon meeting.
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