ROCHELLE — The Rochelle VFW Post 3878’s Queen of Hearts contest has reached a record $114,285 jackpot, Post Commander Joe Drought said following the most recent drawing on Dec. 5. 

The Queen of Hearts drawing involves 54 cards hidden under a covering to be revealed one card per week until the Queen of Hearts is drawn. There are 52 playing deck cards with the 2 jokers hidden. Nine cards currently remain hidden. Players at the local post can purchase tickets in increments of six for $5 and write a number corresponding to a hidden card on the board and their information on them before placing them in a tumbling drum. One ticket is drawn each Tuesday night and the card with the number on the ticket is revealed. 

When the Queen of Hearts is drawn, the winner will receive 70 percent of the pot if they are present for the drawing and 60 percent if they are not present. The remaining 30-40 percent will be split between the post and local non-profit organizations. With the jackpot growing larger, more attention and entries are drawn to the contest. Last week saw over $14,000 in entries alone.

Early in 2023, a previous iteration of the Queen of Hearts saw a full 54-week run with the final jackpot standing at $77,980. That record has been broken.

“It's been a little bit crazy,” Drought said. “It's way beyond last time. It's been great to have the support of the community. That drives more business in here, which helps us to keep the lights on. We have a lot of projects that need to be done here that we're trying to build up funds for. All of this business helps us around here and helps us to do good things in the community and good things for veterans.”

Following the early 2023 Queen of Hearts drawing ending, the post presented donation checks to HOPE of Ogle County, the Rochelle Police Department K-9 Program, Rockford Sexual Assault Counseling, Pegasus Special Riders and Village of Progress. 

“We gave over $3,000 to each of them,” Drought said. “That's my favorite part of this whole thing.”

With the higher payout for being present during a win, Tuesday nights have become busy at the post during drawings. Club Operations Manager Robin Gounaris said the demand has been “a lot to deal with” and asked patrons and those that enter the contest and attend to be kind to and patient with staff. The hectic nights are worth it to bring more awareness to the VFW and its cause, she said. 

Drought enjoys seeing the post full on Tuesdays as well, and he’s been heavily involved with the Queen of Hearts since becoming commander two years ago. The VFW has hosted a Queen of Hearts contest for the past eight years. 

VFW Post 3878’s commander said the Queen of Hearts helps the community to better understand the post’s rules and mission, along with the potential of attracting new veteran members. The post is open to the public for those that want to eat, drink and spend time there. The VFW club itself is still private with eligibility requirements that limit it to veterans. 

“And we want anybody eligible to join and this is helping me to get potential members in here,” Drought said. “Membership is down across the country in all organizations like us. This is a great organization. It's not just a place for people to come and have a beer and sit down and tell war stories. The bigger thing is it's something for us veterans who served who still have a servant's heart no matter what. It's something to give us an opportunity to continue to serve our community and other veterans. Our service isn't always seen publicly. It's driving veterans to VA appointments or helping a veteran out with something around their house. We have people here who help disabled veterans. The more people we get involved, the more we can do those kinds of things."

Drought said he has a to-do list of a number of needed projects at the post that Queen of Hearts proceeds could help with including a new PA system, upgrading the lift/elevator, renovating bathrooms in the lower area, flooring issues, upgrades in the bar area, and an expansion of office space. 

“The Queen of Hearts money is a drop in the grand bucket for that list, but it all helps,” Drought said. “It's a tireless effort to keep up with everything. The community has been very generous with us in the past. With our last bathroom project, we got over $35,000 in contributions from the community. The community has been awesome with support.”

Drought thanked the community for its generosity and support, Gounaris for her management and marketing efforts, and staff for their work on the Queen of Hearts. He has considered the what-if scenarios of the contest lasting quite a few more weeks, or even again reaching the full 54 weeks.

“From this point on, it's really going to grow if it keeps going,” Drought said. “If we went the full nine more weeks, it could go over $200,000. We don't want to project too much, because each week we truly hope to see a winner. And we've already hit a record number.”