BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A 31-year-old self-employed wife was yesterday (Jan. 10) announced winner of LIME’s ‘Live for Free’ Christmas promotion, which will see her receiving thousands of US dollars to offset payment of her mortgage and other expenses.
The lucky woman is Predeler Mason of Parsons Village who won the coveted prize from among thousands of competitors.
Vice President (VP) of Corporate Communications, Lavern Caines said the six-week promotion had ended on January 1, 2011 but the drawing took place yesterday at the company’s flagship store on Cayon Street, Basseterre.
She explained that the promotion was eligible to all persons who had topped up or texted during those six weeks.
The VP noted that the response was very good and hopes the public would continue to lend similar support in the coming years.
”The response was very good and I can say that thousands of persons entered the promotion, as daily they were hundreds of entries,” she said.
Caines pointed out that some years ago her company held a promotion in which one person won a million dollars. She noted that based on the feedback, it was felt that the prize should have been shared among others. Therefore, a decision was taken to spread the prize and, instead of one, three were up for grabs in the recent promotion.
“We recognised that a number of persons were upset and disappointed that only one person got the million dollars. Many would have hoped that it could have been spread around so that someone else could have shared in the winnings,” she said.
The third prize winner was Sylvester Huggins, who owns a masquerade troupe. He won a music entertainment centre. Huggins told this media house that he felt elated in winning that prize and declared that he never knew that the telecommunication company had a promotion.
He however indicated that he would have liked to win the first prize, noting that it would have been an ideal gift to his mother.
“I like my prize but when I was told that I won a prize, I was hoping that it was the first prize. I would have wanted to present it to my mother as her gift for the year. She is a really great mother.”
Celeen Phipps of Saddlers Village won the second prize of US$4 000, which she disclosed would be used to visit some friends in St. Vincent.
Phipps said it was a long awaited vacation, and urged by Caines to consider going to the USA, she told this media house that visiting St. Vincent is what she really intends to do. She has one year to retrieve her voucher which covers tickets for four and the remainder for accommodation and other expenses.
An overjoyed Mason said the first prize was very timely and stated that “I just want to say thank you Jesus”. She said that she is very thankful to God, pointing out that she is a Christian and was somewhat apprehensive when contacted by company officials who informed that she had won the promotion.
“Initially, I thought that it was a hoax as I had received calls telling me that I won this and won that. But after thinking for a while, I decided to visit the store as they had requested, and here I am,” she said.
Mason said there is a lot to celebrate this year, noting that she and her husband would be celebrating their birthday on May 25 and their wedding anniversary on March 25.
She also informed that last December marked four years since they completed building their home and the money would afford them the opportunity to cover unpaid mortgage.
The self-employed wife pointed out that she operates a souvenir shop at Black Rocks under the trading name Lava Rocks, while her husband is a taxi driver.
“How can you ever stop serving God when He blesses you in so many great and unimaginable ways?” she asked.
She added, “I have always been a faithful customer to LIME and will continue to do so. Words are just too limited to express how I feel about this winning…my husband has still not fully overcome the joy and excitement that we both share.”
As part of her ‘Live for Free’ prize valued at EC$37 000, Mason, for one year, will get free groceries, her mortgage, internet and telephone bills paid. She also received a new handset from LIME.
