Republic’s St. Jude home given away

When Robert Foulke, of Cassville bought a single $100 ticket in the 2022 Springfield St. Jude’s Dream Home Giveaway, his only intention was to support St. Jude’s; he didn’t expect to win. Much to his surprise, however, he is now the owner of a house that is worth 6,800 times the cost of the ticket he purchased to enter the contest.
Foulke, an associate judge with the 39th Circuit Court in Barry County, won the Dream Home Giveaway contest on Sunday, June 26, when his ticket was the one drawn out of the 10,000 tickets sold during the raffle. He described hearing the news he won the house as a “complete surprise.”
“I don't know,” he said when asked about his plans for the house. “It's all come as a complete surprise, so I don't know at this point. We're just going to have to sit down as a family and figure things out.”
Foulke said he wanted to support St. Jude’s when he bought the ticket because St. Jude’s helped his wife’s family.
“My brother-in-law was a St. Jude’s baby, and so he got treatment at St. Jude’s; his cancer went into remission. He is now 35 years of age and leading a great life, and so St. Jude’s has always been an important part of our charity giving.”
The house, located at Valley Trail Homes in Republic, is valued at $680,000 and has four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and a three-car garage. It was donated by Brad King, owner of King Built Artisan Homes, to St. Jude’s to be the grand prize in the contest.
At present, the house is still being built but is expected to be finished by the end of next month.
“The construction of the house is nearing completion; I expect it will be ready by the end of July,” King said.
The house wasn’t the only prize given away in the raffle. St. Jude’s announced that Danny Knatcal, of Marionville, won a 2022 Acura ILX valued at $32,485, donated by Frank Leta Acura of Springfield, while Lisa Chapman, of Ozark, won the Ultimate Outdoor Living Package which included: a seven-piece patio set, a Large Big Green Egg and a Custom Cooking Island. The package was valued at over $10,000 and was donated by Outdoor Home. Finally, Royal Perkins of Winona, won a $2,500 VISA gift card, donated by TWS Excavation.
For his part, Foulke said he was very grateful to St. Jude’s.
“They are a great charity,” he said. “They’ve been good to my wife's family, and I can't (say) anything but great things about them.”