You might win an Oak Park house through a school raffle

If every home has a story to tell, the tale of one Oak Park house just needs a final chapter and a happy ending.

The 2,500-square-foot dwelling at 260 Locust Ave. made history in November when it became the centerpiece of the Win a Home Now raffle.

Dedicated to raising proceeds for the nonprofit Conejo Jewish Day School, the raffle is reportedly the largest sweepstakes ever to take place in the Conejo Valley. It offers participants a chance to win a $1 million home.

The five-bedroom, threebath residence boasts a remodeled kitchen, state-of-the-art appliances, new tile, designer carpet and a Jacuzzi tub in the master suite.

But for those not interested in procuring a new domicile, the $1 million in cash might present another tempting reason to purchase a ticket.

Raffle coordinators are allowing tickets to be purchased and donated to charities, with the winning charity garnering $1 million.

With myriad other cash prizes available, ranging from $300 to $50,000, procurers of the $150 raffle tickets have a 1 in 100 opportunity to double their investment with every purchase.

The 1 in 80,000 chance of winning the grand prize is better than the odds involved with the state lottery, which would be approximately 1:120,000 if 150 lottery tickets were purchased.

But with half of the 18,000 tickets still to be sold and only 10 days left before the raffle, the current chapter in the house's life is far from being closed.

For Dan Adivi, an Oak Park resident and Realtor, the house represents the overwhelming power of passion.

Adivi's zeal to coordinate the fundraiser has been all consuming. While success will merit celebration, failure would have a deeper repercussion for Adivi than mere disappointment. It could signal a loss of faith in the one thing he truly prizes: community.

Adivi, who grew up on a kibbutz before emigrating to the United States from Israel, has always enjoyed the importance that Jewish tradition places on community.

As a stranger in the surreal land of Southern California, Adivi reestablished the kibbutz's sense of community, with help from Conejo Jewish Day School.

He enrolled his son at the school, an institution that prides itself on its small classes and tradition of academic excellence. Enthralled by the school's charitable attitude and desire to strengthen community bonds, Adivi became a board member.

"It is the school's policy to avoid saying 'no' to anyone, but this meant that we had to be constantly finding money all the time to help these children," Adivi said of the school's admittance policy.

The CJDS has benefactors who have helped the school in the past, but their generous nature has sometimes placed the philanthropists in dire straits.

Two years ago, Adivi decided that a large scale fundraiser could help quell the need to constantly appeal for money. Following the success of other raffles in Beverly Hills and Palos Verdes, Adivi began to organize a sweepstakes to meet the monetary needs of the Conejo Jewish Day School.

After nearly giving up on the raffle idea while navigating a labyrinth of government regulations and spending money on legal fees, Adivi launched his project in November.

"I've put my life on hold for this," said Adivi. "I've been losing sleep."

The endeavor has sold about 9,000 tickets, and Reed Torkay of Moorpark has already become a tangible example of the benefits of buying a ticket--Torkay netted a $30,000 early bird prize. But event hosts say they still need to sell 9,000 more tickets.

"We're at the tipping point right now," said Adivi.

If the raffle is successful, the proceeds will be used to purchase a home for Conejo Jewish Day School, which offers classes in kindergarten through sixth grade, and leases rooms from a church on Agoura Road.

The school combines Jewish traditions with strong academics in a nurturing environment," said Leora Langberg, CJDS board president. "Once we have a home of our own, we hope to offer a kindergarten through 12th grade experience."

"The school has a wonderful environment, but it doesn't feel appropriate that we are a Jewish school residing in a church," said Adivi. "We already have someone who has shown interest in building a school, but first we need to obtain land."

Adivi said he will be satisfied even if the fundraiser only breaks even.

"It will show that we can successfully organize an event like this and (it) will motivate us to pursue similar fundraisers in the future," he said.

In Adivi's mind, the project represents a potential example of the power a community can wield when its members support one another.

"As a community, we can do anything if everyone just helps a little," he said. "For the price of buying a cup of coffee every day

for a month, you will not only help give back to the community but be given a chance to win a million dollars."

Tickets can be purchased at www.winahomenow.com or by calling 1-866-WIN-1-HOME (866-946-1466).

The winning ticket will be drawn Sun., April 30 at the Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills.

"The most exciting moments in life aren't when you get something, but when you do something to help someone else," Adivi said.