The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs is sponsoring a raffle in conjunction with the Washington State Lottery. The proceeds will go to provide financial assistance to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan through the Veterans Innovations Program. Tickets are $10 and the proceeds of every ticket sold directly benefits soldiers and their families. I would normally not support gambling in this newsletter, however, since I never win anything, I look at my $10 ticket as a contribution to help out our young soldiers returning home.