"The Samaritan relay team is always looking for unique fundraisers," said Barbara E. Morrow.

She was the lead for just such an event Sunday afternoon — dropping balls from a helicopter.

Douglas S. Johnston, LaFargeville, and his wife, Bonnie S., took up about 275 pingpong balls and dropped them out of a helicopter over a golf green at Highland Meadows Golf & Country Club, 24201 Route 342.

Each pingpong ball represented a $10 donation for Samaritan's American Cancer Society Relay for Life team, and the three closest and the one farthest from the hole won prizes for their donors. The donors have tickets with numbers corresponding to the numbers on the balls.

"This was definitely our biggest fundraiser all at once," Mrs. Morrow said.

Christopher A. Sanford, the chair of Samaritan's relay team for two years said, "It's been pretty exciting."

He pushed the team to raise its goal from $5,000 two years ago to $10,000 last year and $15,000 this year. "We're very close to the goal," he said.

Mr. Johnston built the helicopter he flew from a kit. He said he looks for ways to help by flying his helicopter. "I wanted the helicopter to be more than something I use for sightseeing and transportation or joy rides," he said. "But I also wanted to use it as a service."

He and his wife did the ball drop for the hamlet of Omar last year.

"People have been dropping balls out of helicopters for years, so it's not new," he said. "But it is rare because there aren't many helicopters around."

It's pretty tricky to drop the balls near the target. Mrs. Johnston said, "That's why we have to make a couple of passes — I don't get a lot of chances."

Flying into the wind and some rain Sunday, the couple circled around a few times before Mrs. Johnston opened her window and the pingpong balls fell all around the red flag marking the hole. Some were only a few inches from the hole.

"Last time, I got a hole-in-one," she said.

But Sunday, the first one was inches away. The prizes, furnished by F.X. Caprara, were $500 for first, won by Harry Booras; $250 for second, won by Duffy Schafer; $125 for third, won by Krista Smith; and a bottle of wine for farthest, won by Mary Wood.