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Sneakers raffle to benefit Agrace HospiceCare

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Matt DeWitt

JANESVILLE — Matt DeWitt and his father-in-law spent hours playing euchre and traveling together.

"He was like a second dad to me," DeWitt said of Don Knuth, who died in 1998 at the age of 64.

"Everybody that knew him loved him," DeWitt said.

DeWitt, owner of Sneakers Sports Bar and Grill and Snuffy's Still, had been thinking about organizing a fundraiser to benefit a local charity. After 18 months of checking into several nonprofit agencies, he chose Agrace HospiceCare, which relies on community donations to fund several services that are essential to end-of-life care.

Knuth's family tapped into Agrace HospiceCare as his health failed.

"Without it, it would have been a real struggle," DeWitt said.

"I can't say enough about them. They have all the resources and answers for you during this real trying time," he said.

Agrace HospiceCare also sustained the family through its grief and brought about much-needed comfort, DeWitt said.

"They were there to help support us," he said.

DeWitt has set a goal of raising $35,000 by selling 3,000 raffle tickets. During the past two months, he's already sold 600.

"It's encouraging, but I need to sell 750 to cover the cost of the bike," he said referring to the raffle's grand prize of a 2012 Harley-Davidson FatBoy. Kegel Harley-Davidson, Rockford, Ill., provided the shiny motorcycle, which is black with chrome wheels, he said.

Other prizes include:

-- First prize—A 55-inch Vizio widescreen TV donated by Witt.

-- Second prize—A trip to a Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field that includes two game tickets in the Miller Lite End Zone, an Aaron Rodgers jersey, a Miller Lite cooler and a $50 gift card, donated by Ott Schweitzer Distributing, Milton.

-- Third prize—A trip to a Milwaukee Brewers game that includes four Diamond box tickets, a parking pass, a John Axford jersey, a Miller Lite cooler and $50 Visa gift card, donated by Ott Schweitzer.

-- Fourth through 10th prizes—$500 each with money raised through raffle ticket sales.