Santa Claus had a little trouble finding New Westminster resident Archie Calaguas at Christmas time.
And, Jolly Ol’ St. Nick may have had an issue putting Calaguas’ present in his sleigh.
Calaguas was the grand prize winner in the 2025 Knights of Columbus’ Charity Appeal raffle, collecting a new 2025 Ford Maverick XLT all-wheel drive pickup truck. He and co-ticket buyer, friend Andre Lim, flew from Vancouver to Kelowna Monday, Jan. 19, took an Uber ride to the Watkin Motors Ford dealership in Vernon to get the vehicle, and drove home to New West the same day.
“I was on vacation in Angeles City (Phillipines) with my family for a Christmas holiday when my aunty texted me that I had won the truck and I needed to check my (Facebook) Messenger,” said Calaguas, 43, a building operator, married, with two children. “I phoned them (Knights) and they were still doing their raffle. My family and I, we were jumping up and down for joy when we heard we’d won.”
The Knights drew the winning ticket on Dec. 13 in Vancouver.
For the first time, Calaguas did not have to write his name on a charity appeal ticket at a mall in pen. He and Lim entered online, each putting in $50 toward tickets.
And he’s never won anything as big as a truck.
“When we get back, we’re going to talk about what we’re going to do with the truck,” said Calaguas. “He said, ‘what you decide, I respect. You’re the one who told me to buy.’”
Calaguas has been trying to get the message across to co-workers to buy the charity appeal tickets.
“I always tell you guys,” he said. “Now they want to buy tickets for next year.”
Calaguas had to wait a bit to head to the North Okanagan to claim his prize.
“I just had a vacation, and when I got back, the company said, ‘Archie, you got so much work to do,’” he laughed. “I work Monday to Friday, so I took today off. Back to work tomorrow.”
He was presented the keys to the vehicle by Vernon’s Dale Hofer, the chair of the Knights’ B.C. Charity Appeal.
“We raise funds for hospital foundations, school PACs (Parent Advisory Councils), community food banks, scholarships, bursaries, Special Olympics, and Dioceses in B.C. for outreach programs,” said Hofer.
This year’s appeal raised $448,000, which will be divvied up among provincial charities and groups.
Residents from Kelowna, Williams Lake, and Victoria shared $40,000 in the Charity Appeal’s cash prizes. An additional 10 participants won $1,000 each in early bird draws.
The Knights of Columbus are known for their charity work throughout B.C. and around the world.
In 2023, members worldwide donated $190 million to charity, and put in 47 million hours of volunteer services.