Cathy Luttrell, of Soddy Daisy, was named the second of 13 semi-finalists drawn in the WTCI Home for the Holidays log home lottery.

WTCI’s Home for the Holidays contest is a fundraiser to assist WTCI shift its broadcasting operation from its current location on Amnicola Highway to a 35,000-square-foot facility on Bonnyshire Drive in Bonny Oaks. Tickets may be purchased, for $100 each, at First Tennessee bank branches, Bennett’s on Amnicola Highway, online at winthisloghome.com or on the phone at 1-877-LOG-WTCI.

“We’ve been looking for land and this was a great opportunity,” Ms. Luttrell said after learning of her advancement in the contest. “It makes a difference knowing that we are giving back to the community.”

Ms. Luttrell, an employee of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, joins Mary Wild, of Chattanooga, as a semifinalist.

Those who purchase a ticket will have the chance to win a $500,000 prize package that includes the construction of a 1,642-square-foot luxury three-bedroom Barna log home on a six-acre lot on Lookout Mountain, Ga., landscaping, cabinetry, other residential accessories and a year's membership to Canyon Ridge Golf Club. The cabin will sit on a wooded site near the New Salem community.

Eleven additional semifinalists will be selected from additional drawings held through Dec. 7. From these thirteen contestants, three will each receive a house key. One of these house keys will fit the lock to the front door of the Barna log home.

Tickets will be available for purchase through midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 6, with the final drawing for the home to be held on Dec. 10.

The semifinalists will be featured on “WTCI’s Home for the Holidays” 13-part series, premiering at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28. The companion series, hosted by Jack Perkins, also include how-to tips in building a log home among other home improvement highlights.

“Ms. Luttrell noticed a wonderful opportunity to give to her community PBS station while earning a chance to win a new home they’ve dreamed of,” said Paul Grove, WTCI President and CEO. “If someone buys their ticket early, they have a much better chance of winning this beautiful log home.”

The next semifinalist drawing will be on Sept. 28.

WTCI hopes to sell 10,000 tickets during the 120 day-period leading up to the December drawing of the winner's name from a pool of semi-finalists. The series will also include how-to tips in building a log home among other home improvement highlights.

WTCI's Home for the Holidays giveaway is sponsored by Bennett's, Barna Log Homes, Highlands Forrest at Lookout Highlands, Neal Custom Homes and Canyon Ridge Golf Club. It is presented by First Tennessee Bank, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Comcast, Newschannel 9 and US 101, in association with American Log Mortgage, Berke, Berke and Berke Attorneys at Law, Decosimo Certified Public Accountants, Diversified Companies, LLC, Iron Horse Software, To the Point Graphic Design and Waterhouse Public Relations.