|
For release December 2, 2009
Port Richey Couple Donates a Ton to Win Goodwill's Next Big Donation Contest
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Goodwill Industries-Suncoast today announced the winners of their Next Big Donation contest, presented in conjunction with the 97X Next Big Thing concert to be held Sunday at the Ford Amphitheatre. Contest participants throughout the Tampa Bay area competed to make the biggest donations of clothing and household items to Goodwill in order to win concert tickets and memorabilia.
Elijah and Valerie Bartz of Port Richey donated more than a ton of household items to Goodwill – 2,665 pounds – to secure the grand prize: two reserved seats at 97X Next Big Thing, parking passes, a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops autographed by Next Big Thing musicians, and a meet & greet at the concert with a Next Big Thing band.
Elijah was determined to win the contest as a birthday present for his wife Valerie as soon as she told him about it. They attend the December concert every year to celebrate her birthday on December 3, and since their family has long supported the Goodwill store in Port Richey with clothing donations, the contest immediately captured their interest.
“I want to be known as the guy who donated a TON,” Elijah quipped at Goodwill’s fourth Next Big Donation drop-off event in St. Petersburg last Saturday. Many friends and multiple generations of the Bartz’s family pitched in to help the couple win.
Melissa Baldwin of New Port Richey is the 1st runner up, with donations totaling 1,607 pounds; Carrie Schleman of Tampa is the 2nd runner up with 871 pounds; and Sara Schaaf of Port Richey is the 3rd runner up with 691 pounds. 127 contest participants donated a total of 15,137 pounds of items to Goodwill at four Next Big Donation events held in Brandon, Port Richey, Oldsmar and St. Petersburg.
Runner-up donors win pairs of Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops signed by NBT musicians. Converse in the Ellenton Prime Outlets donated the shoes to Goodwill for prizes.
Donors have one last chance to win a pair of autographed Chuck Taylors by bringing Goodwill donations to the concert this Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa. The shoes will be awarded by Goodwill in a random drawing from donor names. Donation weight will not be a factor for the final prize. A Goodwill donation trailer will be parked near the main entrance to the amphitheatre.
As an official sponsor of 97X Next Big Thing, Goodwill is reaching out to a new generation of donors.
Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc., founded in St. Petersburg in 1954, is currently the top-ranked Goodwill in North America for the number of people placed in jobs annually. Goodwill’s donated goods and retail operations help support its employment and training programs for people with barriers to employment; affordable apartment communities for seniors and people with disabilities; and community corrections programs, among other services.
|
