We held the drawing for the 2024 HomeShare Vermont Staycation/Vacation Raffle on Thursday, April 18. The livestream was hosted and produced by Media Factory.

Here is the list of winners of our 13 fantastic prizes:

• Two nights at The Pitcher Inn in Warren – Denise Olsky, South Burlington
• Two nights at the Middlebury Inn – Keith and Penelope Pillsbury, Burlington
• Two nights at the Woodstock Inn & Resort – Christine Curtis and Clyde Stats, Burlington
• Two nights at North Hero House – Greg MacDonald and Wendy Soliday, East Montpelier
• An overnight stay at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee – Mary Hanrahan, New York, NY
• $250 Amtrak gift certificate and a Burton suitcase – Amey Ryan, Middlebury
• Round for four and cart at Burlington Country Club – John Pane and Elizabeth Bassett, Charlotte
• Basin Harbor Cruise for up to 48 people aboard The Escape – Faye Longo, South Royalton
• Garden Lover’s Package: Two gardening books by master gardener Charlie Nardozzi, a $100 Gardener’s Supply gift certificate, $250 Runamok Maple gift certificate, gardener’s apron and a $30 Element Nail Salon gift certificate and Spa Kit – Elizabeth Anthony, South Burlington
• Stay Warm Winter Package: A $250 gift certificate to Homeport, a Vermont-made Stave Puzzle, a Johnson Woolen Mills blanket and a plush sheep – Sarah Carpenter, Burlington
• Game Night Package: Four tickets each to UVM Women’s and Men’s Ice Hockey and Women’s and Men’s Basketball, a UVM Basketball Jersey and a $250 Citizen Cider gift certificate – Kathy Gundy, Mohnton, PA
• Pamper Me Package: $100 It’s My Day Spa services gift certificate, a $100 gift certificate for A Single Pebble, a Johnson Woolen Mills blanket and passes to the Shelburne Museum – Allan Hunt and Susi Taylor, Burlington

And thanks to our wonderful sponsors who made it all possible:

Glenn Jarrett and Judy Barber

Homeshare Vermont has a new executive director. After an exhaustive search, Connor Timmons joined the nonprofit on Sept. 5. He succeeds Kirby Dunn, who retired after serving as executive director for 23 years.

Timmons has experience working with children, young adults and families, through the Common Ground Center in Starksboro and the YMCA in his native Montreal.

His two decades of organizational leadership and collaborative management — plus his passion for building intergenerational connections for the betterment of communities — position him to take HomeShare Vermont to new heights.

Timmons looks forward to expanding on HomeShare Vermont’s innovative and holistic approach to mutual aid. HomeShare, he said, is actively making the fabric of Vermont’s communities stronger, one match at a time, and he’s thrilled to be part of it.

“Homesharing is an example of a Vermont value; we pull our neighbors out of ditches, we welcome new neighbors with apple pie; we lend a hand when folks need support. This way of living, of homesharing, has been embraced by this state for the past 40 years,” Timmons said. “It is truly an honor to be picking up where Kirby Dunn left off. I speak for the thousands of people whose lives HomeShare has impacted when I say that we are in Kirby’s debt.”

You can watch Kirby’s interview with Stewart Ledbetter by clicking here.

If you haven’t watched the Raffle Drawing at Media Factory, you can click here to see it.

Click here to read the recent Shelburne News article on HomeShare Vermont written by reporter Liberty Darr featuring HomeShare staff volunteer Cathy Bergeron. 

Click here to enjoy this year’s HomeShare Vermont Staycation/Vacation Raffle drawing on our YouTube Channel.

Here are the great prizes that we drew for:

• 2 night stay at Middlebury Inn, Middlebury
• 2 night stay at North Hero House
• 2 night stay at The Pitcher Inn, Warren
• 2 night stay at the Woodstock Inn & Resort
• 1 night stay at Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee
• $250 Amtrak gift certificate and a Burton suitcase
• Round of golf for 4 and cart at Burlington Country Club
• Basin Harbor cruise for up to 48 people aboard The Escape
• Garden Lover’s Package: Two gardening books by master gardener Charlie Nardozzi, a $100 Gardener’s Supply gift certificate, a $250 Run Amok Maple gift certificate, a gardener’s apron and a $30 Element Nail Salon gift certificate and Spa Kit
• Stay Warm Winter Package: A Vermont-made Stave Puzzle, a Johnson Woolen Mills blanket and a $250 Homeport gift certificate
• Game Night Package: Four tickets each to UVM Women’s and Men’s Ice Hockey and Women’s and Men’s Basketball, a UVM Basketball Jersey and a $250 Citizen Cider gift certificate
• Pamper Me Package: A $100 “It’s My Day” Spa and Salon services gift certificate, a $100 gift certificate for A Single Pebble, a Johnson Woolen Mills blanket and passes to Shelburne Museum

Thanks to the Media Factory for producing and streaming the drawing live.

Many thanks to our generous Sponsors for making this raffle possible!

If you have been considering sharing your home, this might be a good time to try it. To encourage more Burlington homeowners to consider sharing their homes, we have developed a new “thank you” gift program.  If you are a homeowner and new to our program and share your home with us before July 1st, you could be eligible for a $1,000 thank you grant!  You would also benefit from rental income, shared expenses and/or some help around the home. There are no age or income restrictions to share your home.  

Contact HomeShare Vermont to learn more about our comprehensive screening and matching service and see if homesharing might be a good option for you. Call us at (802) 863-5625 or email [email protected].

These grants are being made available through the Burlington Housing Trust Fund, funded through your property taxes, so you will be getting some of your money back in your pocket! Some restrictions apply.

As part of its Locked Out Series, Seven Days reporter Rachel Hellman included HomeShare host Ray Tomlinson in her story, “Aging Vermonters Who Can’t Find Housing Are Part of the State’s Real Estate ‘Gridlock'”. You can read the article here.