BEANIE RAFFLE BENEFITS SCOUT HORSE PROGRAM

A five-day Beanie Baby raffle that begins Thursday will benefit the Otahki Girl Scout Council horse program.

Judith Anne Lang, owner of Judith Anne's at 130 N. Main, hopes to raise enough money -- at least $750 to $1,000 -- to buy at least one horse for the Girl Scouts.

The Otahki Girl Scout council typically maintains a stable of 20 horses at Camp Cherokee Ridge, the council's 1,100-acre resident camp at Patterson. The horses are utilized throughout the year for troop, community and council events. They are also an important part of the resident summer camp program.

But the program has suffered from setbacks during the past year due to the age and physical condition of the horses. The stable has dropped to 16 horses, said Denise Stewart, executive director of the Otakhi Council. In addition, she said, equipment such as tack, saddles and riding helmets are constantly in need of repair or replacement.

Three '98 Ty Christmas Teddies will be awarded each day of the fund raiser -- Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. Chances are $1 each. A new raffle will begin each day, but individuals may buy tickets for multiple days at one time.

Lang hopes the fund raiser will be popular considering the '98 Christmas Teddy will retire Dec. 31 and is very hard to find.

In addition, all raffle entries will be pooled for a grand prize drawing next Wednesday. The prize will be 10 of the new Ty Beanie Babies including Halo, '98 Christmas Teddy, Roam, Loosy, Santa, Beak, Scorch, Pumkin, Zero and Canyon.

All drawings will be held at 5 p.m. at the store, and winners will be notified by phone.

In 1998, the Girl Scout horses were ridden more than 1,000 times for over 2,300 hours. A recent interest survey conducted by the council for girls in grades 6-10 listed the horse program as their favorite activity.

"The horseback riding program at Camp Cherokee Ridge continues to be a wonderful way for girls to build self-esteem, learn teamwork skills and have a great time," Stewart said.

Lang is an ardent supporter of the Girl Scout program. Her daughter, Vicki Ventrella, has been a camp counselor for the past two summers at Camp Cherokee Ridge. Lang's two employees, Kim Hanners and Mary Roe, and their daughters are also involved in Girl Scouting.

"So many programs we support treat the illness. Girl Scouting is really preventative medicine," said Lang.

All proceeds will go to the Girl Scouts. As such, individuals giving larger donations can receive a receipt for tax purposes.