THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 11, 1997 TAG: 9701110267
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Community Briefs
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 28 lines
Dr. Benjamin Laremont got an early Christmas present, all because he wanted to help St. Mary's Catholic Church.
The Virginia Beach physician won a 1996 red Dodge pickup truck Dec. 21 when his ticket was randomly selected from the hundreds sold during a raffle to benefit restoration of the historic downtown Norfolk landmark.
A longtime member of the church, Laremont practices maternal and family medicine.
For several months, the church's congregation and community volunteers have been trying to raise nearly $1 million for repairs to the 138-year-old structure. The church received a devastating blow last January when a storm caused the steeple on the towering edifice to lean to the north, aging tiles to break and the roof to leak.
So far, about $30,000 has been raised, according to Frank Spicer Sr., a downtown businessman who is spearheading the fund-raising efforts. Because of lackluster ticket sales, however, the raffle did not generate much money for the project, Spicer said. Most of the funds have come from private gifts.
Although donations remain far short of the goal, work to repair the church has begun.
Those interested in donating can call Spicer at 625-5833.