Raffle Snafu Makes
Trouble for Winner

By Sandy Vondrasek

Randolph Union High School officials are trying to correct an awkward situation that arose Saturday in Boston, when a school-sponsored fundraiser hit an unexpected snag.

The person who won the RUHS Spanish Club’s recent raffle—for four loge box seats at Saturday’s Red Sox game versus the New York Yankees—showed up at Fenway with three guests that day, only to be advised that the tickets he was holding were not valid, RUHS Principal John Holmes confirmed this week.

Holmes was still in the midst of trying to untangle the mystery when contacted by The Herald this week, but he confirmed that the tickets had been donated to the club for the raffle by Michael S. Jacques of Randolph Center. Jacques, 42, is being held in federal prison without bail, on a charge of kidnapping, in the June 25 disappearance of his 12-year-old niece Brooke Bennett. Bennett’s body was found near the Jacques home, one week later, and investigators have said she was murdered, although no murder charges have been filed, to date.

According to Principal Holmes, the offer of the donated tickets came from Jacques months earlier.

The Red Sox raffle, which "raised a goodly amount of money," was one of a series of fundraisers that Spanish teacher Betsy Parah, her students, and their parents are doing, in anticipation of an "out-of-the-country trip" next year.

Holmes noted that Parah works hard to raise funds, to ensure that all interested students, regardless of family income, can join the trips.

Parah, added Holmes, believed that the donated Red Sox tickets came from Jacques’ employer.

However, Holmes said he reached Jacques’ (now former) employer yesterday, and was advised that the West-Lebanon-based firm doesn’t supply tickets to employees.

"We’re thinking how to resolve the situation," Holmes said.

Parah is in contact with the raffle winner, he added, "to see what kind of resolution" he would like.

"We certainly want to make it right with the people who won," Holmes added. "We thought it was a legitimate raffle; we will certainly work to correct the situation."