Orcutt, California—St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ceremonially broke ground Wednesday in Orcutt for its next Dream Home to be given away in a fundraising drawing.

Preston Holdner, general manager of Shea Homes, and Steve Lavagnino, chairman of the 2014 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, addressed those assembled for the ceremony.

They were joined by a hospital patient’s family, members of Epsilon Sigma Alpha and other sponsor representatives to “shovel dirt” at the event.

Organized by local sponsors and volunteers, the fourth annual Central Coast drawing will offer ticketholders a chance to win the St. Jude Dream Home or a number of other prizes.

A limited number of tickets were sold at the event held at 895 Romneya Lane in the Rice Ranch development, with tickets for the general public scheduled to go on sale Feb. 20 at $100 each.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will help save the lives of children suffering from cancer and other deadly diseases, a St. Jude spokeswoman said.

In addition to Shea Homes and Trilogy Rice Ranch, sponsors include the Santa Maria Times, KCOY CBS12, Sunny Country 102.5 FM and national sponsors Brizo and Shaw Floors.

Now a 22-year tradition, the Dream Home giveaway is one of the largest single-event fundraisers for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital nationwide.

To date, more than 300 homes have been given away, and the program has raised more than $240 million for St. Jude nationwide.

Santa Maria Times