Written By : John Hawkins

This is a great week to be a reader at Right Wing News because the fine folks at The Society Of St. Vincent De Paul are holding a raffle — and it’s not just any raffle. The tickets for this raffle are $100 a pop, they’re worth every penny, and this week, I’ll be giving some of them away for free.

So, if these raffle tickets cost $100, they must be for a pretty incredible prize, right? Oh, yes, my friend, the prizes are extraordinary.

GRAND PRIZE

The Winner Wins for Two!

The winner of Meet Me in Manhattan will bring the companion of his/her choice to share the entire prize package.

Air Travel:

The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will receive roundtrip airfare for two to New York. Airline to be determined after city or town of residence of winner is identified.

Meet Bill O’Reilly

The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will visit Fox News Channel’s studios in Manhattan and meet Bill O’Reilly. Mr. O’Reilly is the undisputed king of cable television news. For the past ten years, “The O’Reilly Factor” has reigned as the world’s top-ranked cable TV news program, breaking records for “most viewers” in almost every measurable category. A wildly successful author, Mr. O’Reilly’s 9th book will be released in the fall of 2010. Four of his books zoomed to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Mr. O’Reilly has made countless appearances as a guest on such national programs as Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View and Oprah. He has traveled to all 50 states and 72 foreign countries, and has earned Master’s degrees from both Boston University and Harvard. The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will enjoy the experience of watching Bill O’Reilly host an edition of “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Four days/three nights of accommodations at the world renowned Essex House

The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will enjoy never-to-be forgotten, three-night accommodations in a luxury two-bedroom apartment, a spectacular property from the famous Lauren Berger Collection, overlooking Central Park at the world renowned Essex House.

Dinner at BoBo Restaurant hosted by celebrity chef Patrick Connolly

Winner will enjoy dinner at the acclaimed upscale restaurant, BoBo, where one of America’s top chefs, Patrick Connolly, rules the kitchen. Patrick’s brother, Dan, is a 318-pound lineman for the NFL’s New England Patriots. Dan knows how to eat, and Patrick knows how to cook! A native of St. Louis, Patrick achieved smashing success at Radius in Boston. After winning the James Beard award as the top chef in the northeastern United States, Patrick moved to BoBo in New York where his inventive cuisine has wowed patrons and critics alike. In recent months, Patrick has exhibited his culinary creations on ABC-TVs Nightline, NBC-TV’s Today Show, and CBS-TV’s Early Show. An unforgettable dining experience will be enjoyed by the Meet Me in Manhattan winner at BoBo.

Two Tickets to a Major League Baseball Game at Yankee Stadium

In 2009, the House That Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium, was replaced by the new Yankee Stadium. Debuting in the most expensive and elaborate baseball stadium ever built, the legendary Yankees won the World Series in their first season in their new home. America’s Great Raffle winner will see the Yankees take on the Tampa Rays, who stunned the baseball world with their first ever trip to the World Series in 2008. With the Rays getting off to the best start in the Major Leagues in 2010, their rivalry with the Yanks is heating up in the American League Eastern Division. There’s nothing like September baseball at Yankee Stadium in New York during the heat of a pennant race!

Two Tickets to a Broadway Show

Imagine walking on Broadway in the autumn air to one of many legendary theaters to see some of the world’s greatest stars perform. In the last year, more than 12 million people paid more than $1 billion to see the stars on Broadway. Pending ticket availability, the Meet Me in Manhattan winner will have excellent seats at the Broadway show of their choice!

A $3,000 Shopping Spree

In the world of shopping, there’s nothing like strolling down 5th Avenue to shop at some of the finest stores in the world. Try on the Manolo Blahnik shoes at Niemen Marcus, or shop Saks 5th Avenue (the original!), Bloomingdale’s, Tiffany’s, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Cartier, FAO Schwarz and countless others. Stuffed with $3,000 of Meet Me in Manhattan prize money, the winner will engage in a shopping spree to remember forever!

SECOND PRIZE

Round-trip airfare for two anywhere in the continental U.S.

THIRD PRIZE

Two tickets to the 2011 Super Bowl .

FOURTH PRIZE

Two tickets to the 2011 MLB All-Star game.

FIFTH PRIZE

$1000 furniture shopping spree at Weekends Only.

That’s right, folks; this raffle is so incredible that two Super Bowl tickets are only the THIRD PLACE prize. And first place? 4 days in New York? Catching O’Reilly’s show? A $3000 shopping spree? Plus everything else? That is absolutely amazing — and the $100 a ticket? It’s for a great cause.

Utility assistance, medications, medical transportation, car repairs, cars to the working poor, home repairs, free legal assistance, free budget assistance, hospital visits, prison visits

Housing for homeless veterans and people with mental disabilities

Aid for those who have been downsized, lost their jobs, suffered through a divorce, a foreclosure

Food for the needy through 83 food pantries

Furniture, clothing, household goods for those in need through our Thrift Stores

Home visits to comfort and aid those who are suffering

Moreover, I know some people wonder about the credibility of charities. But come on: Would Bill O’Reilly be involved with this charity if it wasn’t on the up and up? Of course not!

So, I would strongly suggest you head over and buy a ticket. Heck, buy 10!

Now, some of you may be thinking, “John, this is a great cause and it’s worth giving $100 to charity to get a ticket, but I just don’t have the money to spare.”

I understand and I did mention that I’ll be giving away tickets this week, didn’t I? So how do you get your shot at a raffle ticket today? Simple.

Today, I am going to give away two raffle tickets. All you have to do to be eligible is post in the comment section of RWN. Only one post per person. If you post more than once, you will be disqualified. Tomorrow, I will announce the two winners, who’ll be selected randomly.

So, comment away!

Update #1 I used the random number generator located here to pick the winners of $100 raffle tickets. They were:

Kerrie Heretic & HammerNH.

They’ve both been contacted and they have 24 hours to respond and claim their raffle tickets.

If you didn’t win, you can, of course, always buy a ticket. If you can’t afford to buy one, even for a good cause, don’t worry, because you will have another chance to win a raffle ticket on RWN this week.

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