Winners of Friends of Tri-Valley drawing

Winners of a fifth-wheel camper and truck, given away by the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation, are Charles and Eleanor Oursler of Maryland, shown at far right. Others on hand for the presentation of the prize were, from left: Kevin Keenan and Neal Ford of Nu-Wa Industries; Rusty Litzel of Merle Kelly Ford; and Tricia Campbell and Tim Cunningham of Tri-Valley Developmental Services. Submitted Photo

A Maryland couple visited Kansas for the first time this week -- and drove off in a brand new truck, pulling a fifth-wheel camper.

Eleanor and Charles Oursler, Jessup, Maryland, are the winners of the vacation rig given away in an annual drawing by the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation.

"We passed Leavenworth, Kansas once while on a trip, but we've never actually been in Kansas," Eleanor said.

It is her name that is on the winning ticket, drawn from approximately 2,500 entries for this year's drawing. Entries came from all 50 states, plus two entries from Canada.

Eleanor was surprised to learn of her winning ticket.

"I was sitting at the table with my sister who was visiting from Texas when the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was a Kansas phone number," she said of the call made to her by Tri-Valley on May 16.

"I told my sister I wasn't going to answer it. I didn't know anyone in Kansas," she said, with a laugh.

Charles, however, picked up the phone in another room and learned his wife had won the nearly $100,000 prize.

"He came in and handed me the phone and told me to 'answer this call," Eleanor said. She's glad he was insistent.

Tri-Valley always draws two names from the drum of tickets, in case the first winner decides against claiming the prize.

"I was just shocked to find out I'd won. I've never won anything," Eleanor said. "We've been camping since 1963, when we started with a tent. Then we had a pop-up camper, then a 22-foot self-contained unit, and in 1998, we bought a pull-behind trailer.

"Charles' dream has always been to have a fifth-wheel camper. We would always see Hitchhiker units in the campgrounds, so we know how nice they are."

Both Ourslers are retired. Eleanor retired in 2005 after 27 years as the finance officer for the State of Maryland; Charles retired in 2004 after 24 years with the U.S. Department of Defense.

The couple lives in Jessup, Maryland, a "small town" located between Baltimore and Washington DC. They are natives of the town. In fact, they live next door to the house where Charles was raised.

As expected, the area is home to many federal agencies, including a NASA space flight center, the National Security Agency, Ft. Meade Army Post, and several prisons.

The Ourslers have three grown children, and are looking forward to traveling in their new rig.

"I have an aunt in Florida that I'd like to see, and we may go to San Antonio to visit my sister," Eleanor says.

This was the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation's eighth drawing for a truck and camper. Proceeds from the project help the agency to build homes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Two homes have been built in Humboldt; one in Iola; and two homes are planned for Chanute.

The ninth annual drawing will soon be underway. Information is available on Tri-Valley's website at http://www.tvds.org or by calling (620) 431-7401, ext. 230.