For many Mid-Southerners, the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway offers a chance to win a new house. But every $100 raffle ticket sold supports a larger mission to ensure families with children battling cancer never face financial hardship to cover lifesaving treatment.
The annual home giveaway supports the work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Ticketholders have a chance to win a newly built, 3,200-square-foot home, valued at about $675,000. Tickets are sold out.
The 2026 winner of the suburban Memphis dream home, located in Arlington, Tennessee, will be announced live on Action News 5 at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 28.
Although the giveaway awards a new home to a single winner, organizers say the overall goal is raising money to help St. Jude continue its groundbreaking work in pediatric cancer research and treatment.
The dream home program, which raises millions of dollars annually, launched in 1991 in Louisiana with a single home that drew $160,000 in donations. Today, the hospital’s fundraising organization, ALSAC, raffles off more than 40 homes in cities across the country, including nearby Chattanooga and Nashville, and Jackson and Oxford in Mississippi.
“Every dollar raised is directly donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” said Toni Todd, development specialist for ALSAC.
Donations help cover bills for treatment, travel, housing and food for families with a child receiving care, allowing parents to focus on helping their children heal. St. Jude’s approach to fundraising sustains a globally lauded model of care.
This year’s Memphis dream home is the 19th project for builder Greg Bridgers and Southern Serenity Homes. Each year, Bridgers incorporates modern trends and family-friendly amenities into the home’s design. The 2026 home features upgrades such as a three-car garage, built-in bunk beds in the bonus room, and an outdoor kitchen designed for family gatherings and entertaining.
Local and national home improvement suppliers and manufacturers contributed labor and materials to build this year’s dream home, staged by local interior designer Kim Loudenbeck, who owns Warehouse 67, a furniture store in Germantown, Tennessee.
After decades of progress at St. Jude, survival rates have increased to 80% for childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Still, some children facing life-threatening illness are left without effective treatment options.
“There’s 20% that still needs St. Jude’s help,” said Todd. “Not only could you change your life by winning a home, but your ticket helps fund research to support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude. For the children of St. Jude, that means hope.”
