DUNNVILLE — The warm ocean breezes of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic are beckoning Dunnville resident Wray McLean after becoming the town’s first-ever Catch the Ace winner.
“It’s not an overly expensive place, but it’s a nice place,” said McLean, speaking with The Press the morning after his big win was announced on August 19, 2026.
McLean took home a $22,799 jackpot from the combined $75,995 that was raised since the fundraiser kicked off on May 6.
Over that 15-week run, a dedicated crew of volunteers from the Dunnville Optimist and Rotary clubs, led by Optimist Club President Don Zynomirski, slowly built momentum for the fundraiser.
“When it was pulled last night, I’m thinking, ‘Crap!’,” said Zynomirski, clarifying that he is happy for McLean – a loyal supporter of the fundraiser – but that he was hopeful for a much higher total raised if the ace of spades had remained hidden a while longer. “(Participants) do want to win, but they want to also see the jackpot grow…. It was tough to take.”
Zynomirski praised the Dunnville community’s spirit and support for the event, noting the draw was averaging around 750 tickets sold per week at its conclusion.
Minus McLean’s jackpot and the previous weekly winnings, the remainder of the funds will be split with 50% for the Dunnville Healthcare and Hospital Foundation, 20% for the Dunnville Optimist Club, 20% for the Rotary Club, and the final 10% to be determined.
At the start of the fundraiser, Zynomirski pledged to grow a beard for the duration of the run, only shaving it off once the elusive ace of spades was pulled.
“It’s hard to say goodbye,” he mused, referring perhaps to the beard he recently shaved, but more so to the friendships made over the course of the fundraiser. “I spent time with these people, building relationships, getting to know people. It means a lot more than just the money.”
Zynomirski credited the local group Partners in Action, comprised of members from several different service organizations locally, with giving him the confidence to move forward with the event after first presenting the idea at a meeting in January.
“You’re talking the best of the best of the organizations and the clubs in town. I knew I could draw off of that and pull in the volunteers, as many as I needed. I could pull in 40, 50, 60. I couldn’t do that alone with the Optimist Club,” he said.
Although McLean’s jackpot is nowhere near the $2 million taken home by Nanticoke resident Richard Marshall in 2023 following the historic Hagersville Catch the Ace, McLean remains thrilled by the win.
“I wouldn’t be any happier with a million dollars than what I won. It might as well be a million to me. I’m tickled pink, and we’ll get a holiday out of it,” he said. “It’s not going to change our lifestyle. We’re the same people we were, but we’re in a position to, you know … maybe enjoy a few of the finer things.”
A retired electrician who was raised in Waterdown and moved to Dunnville after retirement, McLean and his wife have enjoyed living in the community and supporting it as members of the Dunnville Lions Club.
McLean has also been supporting Dunnville’s other Catch the Ace lottery, hosted by Julia’s Old Fashioned Christmas Charity, which is aiming to open a warming and cooling station in town.
“She’s doing a good job,” said McLean of founder Julie Marchese. “She’s got the town in her heart there.”
With the Optimist/Rotary ace found, Zynomirski is looking forward to settling the fundraiser’s accounts and getting started on what he hopes will be a much bigger second round.
“I’m excited about the future,” he said. “I’m excited about the direction that we’re all going with that, and just the support for the community that everybody is doing.”
Having gone the beard growing route already, Zynomirski is cooking up a fresh scheme to drum up support for round two: “Maybe next time it’s going to be my hair,” he said.
