Tricia L., a paraeducator at Payne Junior High School in Chandler, won the Chandler Education Foundation’s 2025 Winner’s Choice Raffle.

Tricia chose the $20,000 cash raffle prize option, as opposed to $27,000 off the retail price of a vehicle from Big Two Toyota of Chandler, according to a news release.

This year’s raffle fundraiser generated $121,431 through 2,779 donors, the release states.

The release states Tricia L. is not only a Chandler Unified School District employee, but als a proud parent of CUSD graduates.

The decision between the two prize options was not an easy one, but after careful consideration, Tricia chose the cash prize.

“I will be sure to be a good steward of these funds and hope to give back to our community in some way,” Tricia stated in the release.

There were also more than $6,600 worth in “Early Bird” and referral prizes awarded as part of the raffle.

Tricia, now in her third year as a paraeducator at Payne Junior High School, found her role unexpectedly but has embraced it wholeheartedly, the release states.

“It is a role that I truly enjoy as I strive to make a positive difference in the lives and learning ability of our students,” she stated.

The Chandler Education Foundation is a nonprofit that helps fund classroom initiatives, scholarships for graduating seniors and other programs through fundraising.

Applications for scholarships funded through the raffle are currently being reviewed. Scholarship recipients will be recognized at celebrations held in each of the CUSD high schools during the last week of April.

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