RONAN — Mandy Smith left for a four-day vacation to Las Vegas with dreams of winning big. She had no idea she wouldn’t even need to leave Lake County to hit the biggest payday of them all: a 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe.

Her name was picked last Saturday afternoon out of 3,000 raffle tickets sold over the last several months as part of a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Ronan.

“I’ve wanted one for as long as I can remember, so I’m really excited,” Smith said.

Her dream couldn’t have come true without the Boys & Girls Club, the organization that held the raffle. Rick Dennis, the husband of Boys & Girls Club board member Brenda Dennis, found the vehicle earlier this year in Helena. He brought the car back to Ronan with the idea of refurbishing the vehicle as a fundraiser for the club. Rick runs Two Creek Classic Restoration, and found other local businesses willing to chip in and help: Car Quest in Ronan donated all parts, Collision Service’s Ed Loder and Ed Callantine donated all the body work, Ronan Auto Body let the crew use its facility and Karl Kaphammer did the paint job. The result was a beautifully restored Mustang that caught the eye of quite a few folks while it sat in front of the Club the last few weeks.

“This was one of the most fun things we’ve done as a fundraiser,” Executive Director John Schnase said. “There’s such nostalgia for this model of Mustang, so it generated a lot of interest.”

With the donations to help refurbish the sports car, $30,000 raised from selling all the raffle tickets at $10 each and with about $6,000 of expenses, Schnase estimates the club raised approximately $24,000 for operating funds. He also estimated the value of the car at about $15-20,000.

Schnase and staff members took the car to a Griz game in Missoula, Bigfork and Cruisin’ by the Bay this summer in Polson, and received raffle entries from people in Canada, England, Florida and places all over the United States. Yet it was only fitting that the winner was a Lake County local.

“It was a real plus to have someone local win it,” Schnase said. “It was a little more fun because we didn’t have to ship it to England, but we appreciate everyone participating.”

Smith, who works at Community Bank in Polson, said she bought 10 tickets herself, and received two more from her husband on her birthday. Her one in 250 odds landed her the big prize, and a surprise phone call.

“I really didn’t believe them because I know Rick [Dennis] and that’s a practical joke he would play,” Smith said of the phone message informing her that she won.

She insists that with the odds, she didn’t necessarily expect to win.

“It was mostly just a donation for the Boys & Girls Club,” Smith said. “It’s a great thing they are doing.”

Her three young sons, ages three, seven and nine, are eager to get behind the wheel - or at least in the back seat.

“My little boy, he’s three, he said, ‘Let’s go get the racecar,’” Smith said. “They won’t be driving it. But they’re excited.”

During her four-day jaunt to Las Vegas, Smith estimates she won about $30. But the real jackpot would be won while the family was on their way home to Polson.

“They had a new one they were giving away in Vegas, and my husband asked if I wanted to enter, and I said, ‘No, I’m going to win the one at home,’” she said.