Raffle to pay off mortgage of late Mansfield football coach is postponed until May 23
The raffle that was established to pay off the mortgage of late Mansfield football coach Daniel Maberry has been pushed back to May 23, event organizers have said.
The raffle had been scheduled to take place on April 25, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event has since been moved to May 23 at 7 p.m. at The LOT Downtown in Mansfield. If social distancing rules still do not allow for an in-person gathering at that time, the event will move online and can be watched via livestream on Facebook and YouTube.
Maberry, a beloved coach, friend, husband and father, died on Feb. 4 at the age of 47 following his two-year battle with cancer.
The community raised over $35,000 during three barbecue fundraisers and another $83,000 through GoFundMe in five months after Maberry was first diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma in January 2018.
Maberry was hired as a teacher in the Mansfield school district 20 years ago and became an assistant football coach in 2002. In 2016, he came Mansfield’s head coach and won back-to-back district titles in his first two seasons.
Marty Melton, a member of the Mansfield Booster Club, got to know Daniel over the past two years when he started a bible study with the school’s coaches. He met Maberry a month before his passing and discussed plans to take care of his wife Cami and two daughters.
“His fear wasn’t dying, it was the thought of leaving his girls and not knowing if they would be taken care of,” Melton said.
An online raffle is open at Maberrystrong.com until May 23. Tickets are $103 apiece or six for $515.
The Grand Prize drawing is a $40,000 voucher to Moritz Chevrolet in Fort Worth. The winner also has the option for a $30,000 credit card. The rest of the money raised will go to payoff Maberry’s home mortgage.
A silent auction has also been posted. Items up for bid include a round of golf, restaurant gift cards, tickets to Bill Bob’s, a Joe Theismann signed football, a night at the Omni Hotel, an all inclusive trip to The Club Barbados Resort and Spa, and a cornhole board with the Maberry Strong logo.
People can also continue to donate money.
Melton said that because of the pandemic they’ve lost their two biggest events — a booth at the Mansfield pickle parade and a tailgate party during opening day of the Texas Rangers, for which as many as 1,000 tickets could’ve been sold.
To date, Melton said the fundraiser has sold at least 1,600 tickets and raised $150,000. The goal is 1,900 tickets and $200,000.
“I woke up one morning and told myself that Daniel would be happy with whatever we do,” Melton said. “Can’t gripe if we don’t meet our goal because it’s still an incredible gift to him and his family.”
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 4:08 PM.
