A raffle and lunch Saturday to raise money for Effingham County's Project Lifesaver program raked in more than $6,800, according to organizer Pauline Morgan.
Coordinated through the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Project Lifesaver provides a state-of-the-art electronic tracking system to locate adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome or dementia.
The program provides personalized wristbands that emit a tracking signal. If someone with a wristband goes missing, caregivers can call 911 to alert a trained emergency team to respond.
Saturday's fundraiser hosted by Farmers Furniture in Rincon brought in $6,871.44, Morgan said — enough to purchase 22 of the bracelets, which cost $300 apiece and are not covered by insurance.
The total more than doubled the $3,157 raised in her first raffle to benefit Project Lifesaver in 2011 and nearly doubled the $3,524 from last year’s silent auction, yard sale and bake sale.
"I think I'll do the same (format) again next year, and I hope to double it," Morgan said.
About 120 items and gift cards, with a total value around $9,000, were donated by local businesses for the raffle. The top prize was a 50-inch Toshiba flat-screen television.