Nine finalists faced off virtually in the United Way of Southwest Michigan “Win A Car” challenge on Tuesday at Tyler Automotive in Stevensville. The finalists selected from a lineup of random keys—and with the help of UWSM’s President and CEO Anna Murphy, who was live on site—one of those keys started the car. Matt Malone of 97.5 Y-Country was the virtual host.
Adam Wilson, an engineer at Niles Precision Company in Niles, was the lucky winner of a two-year lease on a sub-compact vehicle from Tyler Automotive. He chose the key numbered “9” because his daughter—who was by his side online—was turning nine years old in a matter of days. “She’s definitely NOT getting the car,” Wilson said of his daughter who was ecstatic over his win.
Wilson has been giving to United Way through his workplace campaign for about 17 years. “It’s not always easy to choose a charity to give to, and with United Way you know your money is always going to be impactful,” he said.
In January, the public learned on Facebook who the lucky finalists were for this year’s car giveaway. The finalists were randomly drawn from the pool of donors who gave $156 (or $3 per week). All donors who gave this much were automatically entered into this drawing.
Tyler Automotive has provided this incentive for five years in a row to give a fun boost to United Way’s campaigns. It has always been an exciting conclusion to each campaign.
“We’re so grateful to have partners in the community like Tyler because their support is so important to our success—in fundraising and creating impact. It’s an example of their leadership and shows the community how much they care about making change happen,” Murphy said. “Change doesn’t happen alone, and we wouldn’t be able to do the work we do without each and every donor. Every single dollar contributed contributes to impact. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank all who pledged to give last year.”
Thanks to the “Win A Car” challenge, the community is the big winner in the end. The greater the participation, the more impact United Way creates for families in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties. A simple gift of $3 a week for a year makes a big difference! It provides one of the following:
· 34 meals for someone dealing with food insecurity.
· 2 months of support to help a young child learn to read.
· 1 free book for a child every month for 5 years.
· School supplies for 8 kids to start the school year.
· Support for 2 individuals to address their mental health.
· 1 year of a physical activity/nutrition program for a school-age youth.
The virtual event is viewable on UWSM’s Facebook page at facebook.com/unitedwayswmich.
Photo montage courtesy of United Way and WYTZ
