October 15, 2021 – The North Shore Health Care Foundation in partnership with the local COVID-19 Incident Management Team is providing $500 in cash prizes through the Cook County Youth Vaccination Raffle to be drawn at 3 pm, on Friday, Oct. 29. Visa Gift Cards in the amounts of: $150, $125, $100, $75 and $50 will be drawn and awarded to youth who have become fully vaccinated and entered. Anyone ages 12-18 living in Cook County who has received both vaccinations is eligible to win.

Youth who have not yet already registered either online or in-person at one of the local Youth Vaccination Events, can still get their name in by signing up at: http://cookcountymnouthvaxraffle.eventbrite.com/?s=137843249.

To date, 161 fully-vaccinated youth have entered the draw.  Entries must be received by 11:59 pm, Thursday, Oct 28.

“We’ve had great success in getting teens to come back for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine using the raffle and gift cards provided through the COVID-19 Medical Response Fund to incentivize completion of the vaccination series,” said Grace Grinager, Cook County Public Health Supervisor. “When a teen gets vaccinated, they have a much higher chance of participating in normal school, social, and extracurricular activities with minimal disruption due to COVID-19. The positive impact of teen vaccination has a ripple effect and contributes to a healthier, safer school environment for peers, siblings, and the community at large. We are fortunate in Cook County to have the COVID-19 Response Fund and the support of the Health Care Foundation to have made our local vaccination process swift and effective. We have done extremely well as a community and want to make sure that continues as kids and families face another school year and return to group settings and indoor activities.”

The monetary incentives are funded through the COVID-19 Medical Response Fund to reward local youth who completed the vaccination process.  The North Shore Health Care Foundation is an independent, registered non-profit 501(c)(3) who works to address health care gaps and needs in Cook County and support local health and emergency services. The Foundation created the COVID-19 Medical Response Fund in April 2020, on behalf of the Cook County Emergency Operations Center.

“We believe in the possibilities of people, organizations, businesses, and governments working together to create healthy communities for all in Cook County,” said Valerie Marasco Eliasen, NSHCF Executive Director. “When the opportunity arose to establish the COVID-19 Medical Response Fund, the Foundation was pleased to direct $20,000 of our annual grant funding to leverage community donations and make sure our providers have the resources they need to respond and continue operations during this challenging and continually evolving time. The community stepped up in a major way, reaching the goal in just over four months providing a total of more than $42,000 with the NSHCF matching funds. This is one example of how the Foundation was able to demonstrate leadership and be nimble to address gaps and needs in Cook County working together with our amazing community and partners.”

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Contact(s):
Valerie Marasco Eliasen, Executive Director – North Shore Health Care Foundation, 218-387-5700 or NSHCF@boreal.org

Grace Grinager – Public Health Supervisor – Cook Co Public Health & Human Services, 218-387- 3605 or grace.grinager@co.cook.mn.us