DANA POINT, CA, – When Eric Gage stepped up for the second year and purchased two tickets to the 5th Annual Laguna Beach Million Dollar home raffle, his wife Paige gave him a little grief. But of course, that bit of grief turned into elation and tears of joy when Eric received the winning call: he was the Grand Prize winner and could choose between a Laguna Beach home or $1 million in cash.
Eric and Paige debated whether or not to take the home or cash for over a week. The day they received the call, they drove down to Laguna Beach from their Valley Village home (near North Hollywood) to take a tour and enjoy the sunset ocean views.
“It was a hard decision to make, but we decided to take the cash. This winning will help us in so many good ways,” explained Eric. “We can set money aside for retirement, help our grown kids get a head start and continue to support non profits we believe in. We just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and took a trip to Uganda to see the endangered mountain gorillas. In the process, we discovered an African orphanage and my wife, who is a school teacher, and I have been supporting their education efforts by donating basic school supplies.
We will continue to support this cause as well as Ocean Institute’s mission of educating students about the wonders of the sea and the need to preserve it.”
The morning of the grand prize drawing, Eric and Paige were rolling coins and taking them to the bank to cash in. By the afternoon, they were millionaires. Eric summed it up by declaring, “It doesn’t get any better than this!”
Founded in 1977, the Ocean Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean preservation through education, setting the standard for educational excellence and serving as a leading resource for universities, museums, teachers and all others seeking to increase their knowledge of the ocean.
The Ocean Institute is open to the general public on weekends, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost: $6.50 adults, $4.50 children (ages 4-12), Ocean Institute members free.
Unique maritime and ocean-themed items are available in the Chambers Gallery everyday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Institute address: 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr., Dana Point. Website: www.ocean-institute.org. Phone: (949) 496-2274.
Submitted By;
Jim Graves
