Washington's Lottery announced its first gift of $150,000 to the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs from sales amassed by the inaugural Hometown Heroes Raffle during a ceremony Jan. 17 in Olympia.

Last September, Washington's Lottery and the WDVA partnered to launch the first annual Hometown Heroes Raffle supporting veterans across the state. The $10 raffle tickets benefited the WDVA's Veterans Innovations Program, which provides crisis and emergency relief, as well as education, training, and employment assistance for Washington veterans returning from post-9/11 conflicts.

"The raffle was a godsend for the Veterans Innovations Program," said Dennis Primoli, who served as chairman for the Veterans Legislative Coalition as the bill for the yearly raffle was being passed into law. "It has saved the program, and it will continue to get better."

 The Lottery successfully sold 98 percent of the 300,000 Hometown Heroes Raffle tickets, a big success for a first-time game.

"The Hometown Heroes Raffle created a way for the Veterans Innovations Program to continue to assist Washington's veterans where previously there was no future funding available," WDVA Director John Lee said in a release. "We're very thankful to have the Lottery as a partner. With their help we can continue to serve the men and women in our state who have served us so bravely."

While the Lottery presented the WDVA with a check for $150,000 for the Veterans Innovations Program, there's more money on the way as it plans to make a second contribution to the program later this year once unclaimed prizes and final costs are calculated.

"We're very happy with the contribution," Primoli said.

Since the Hometown Heroes Raffle will now be a yearly occurrence, Primoli said he expects the program to bring in more money for the VIP in the future as people become more familiar with it.

With any Washington's Lottery prize, prizes expire after 180 days of the game's drawing. This gives players until May 8 to claim their Hometown Heroes Raffle prize.

"These brave men and women have selflessly served here at home and abroad, we're doing everything we can do ensure they receive the most funding as possible from the game's ticket sales." said Bill Hanson, director of Washington's Lottery.