For the 17th year in a row, Hall Buick GMC donated a vehicle to be raffled at the annual Cattle Baron's Ball. (Jennifer Scott/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

For the 17th year, Hall Buick GMC donated a brand new truck as a charitable raffle for the Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball benefiting the American Cancer Society.

The winner of the 2024 GMC Canyon AT4 4×4 Truck, Kim Updike, purchased a total of three raffle tickets the night of the ball to support the initiative — with hopes of winning the truck.

“I’ve been pinching myself for three days,” Updike said on Tuesday when she was presented with her new truck. “It all still feels like a dream. You don’t really ever expect something like this to happen. I’ve always just been the spectator.”

Hall Buick GMC general manager Monte Hall drew the winning ticket at the event Saturday night. It was the third year in a row that the winner had been present for the raffle. However, Updike wasn’t quite in the room when her name was called.

“We had a couple of friends with us and my husband was waiting at the door for me (from coming outside) and they all had this dramatic look on their faces,” Updike said. “I thought they were messing with me!”

It wasn’t until a nearby police officer asked her name that she found out the news.

“He goes, ‘Ma’am, you need to get inside. You just won that truck,’” she said. “It was pretty cool … very unexpected and exciting.”

For Updike, the timing of the win could not have been better as they had been looking to upgrade her Kia Sorento.

“It’s a great blessing to our family,” she said. “The vehicle I currently drive is 14 years old and it’s definitely time for a new one. Not only that, we moved from our old residence to some land so I’ll be able to just drive around on the property.”

The truck, valued at $52,750, attracted $50,000 in donations from the sale of 500 raffle tickets. The pickup truck includes 8-speed automatic transmission, 2.7L 300HP turbo engine, power sunroof, underbody camera, and more.

Previously, Pam Hall had been donating about $5,000 a year to the fundraiser but made a decision to step it up and donate a vehicle. Cancer is an issue close to Hall’s heart and is something she is passionate about supporting.

“People like Pam and Monte are desperately needed,” Updike said. “It’s so cool that they’ve been donating a vehicle for the last 17 years … it’s a (great) testament to their beliefs.”

Updike and her husband Eddie, dedicated supporters of the Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball since 2007, have been avid participants in the raffle for the past decade.

“Everybody is affected in some way or another by cancer,” Updike said. “Whether it be a friend or family member, we’re all affected by it. One of my passions is to support the American Cancer Society and this is just a really cool and fun way to do that.”

Updike’s grandmother passed away of lung cancer in 2010 and her stepmother has been battling breast cancer for two years.

“It’s a fairly recent fight, but so far she’s winning,” Updike said.

As the largest American Cancer Society event in Tyler, the event has raised over $17.5 million since 1988. ACS is currently funding over $37 million in cancer research in Texas, according to the fundraiser’s website.

Every day, ACS saves lives and supports patients in Smith County. The American Cancer Society is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information on ACS programs and services available in the community, visit www.cancer.org or call 800-ACS-2345.

“It’s a charity that we really enjoy being a part of,” Updike said. “It’s important to give … to the American Cancer Society. It’s a desperate need.”

To support the Tyler Cattle Baron’s Ball, donate at tyler.acscbb.org or call 903-570-8126.