United Way car giveaway today

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009

By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
This is the day one lucky Rowan County United Way contributor will win a new car.
Names of all 12 finalists will be drawn at the 5:30 p.m. weekly report meeting at the Hurley Family YMCA, with the last person whose name is drawn winning the car.
Once the winner is decided, that person will draw the name of one of five Salisbury automotive dealerships teaming up to give away the car for the fourth year in a row ó Ben Mynatt Nissan, Cloninger Ford/Toyota/Scion, Gerry Wood Automotive, Salisbury Motor Co. and Team Chevrolet/Cadillac ó to determine from which dealership the car will come.
Finalists include Lt. Michael Terry Agner of the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office; Stacy Bias of the city of Salisbury; Donna Byrd of Freightliner; Les-Lee Efird of Carson High School; Tammy Eudy of Bostian Elementary School; Leslie Heidrick of Rowan County; Charlie James of the Salisbury Post; Larry Johnson of Norandal USA; Renee McDaniel of Residential Garbage Service; Pam Morris of Salisbury High School; Jeff Pope of Chandler Concrete; and Michael Strickland of Dillard’s Distribution Center.
Ten of the 12 finalists were interviewed for this story. Agner was at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte with his father and unable to talk about the drawing, and Byrd could not be reached.
The others all said they were excited about being drawn as finalists, but most said they’re not getting their hopes up about winning.
Johnson, an oil room attendant at Norandal, said his name was the first to be drawn. “So I figure I’ve already used all my luck,” he said.
Only two said they’re feeling lucky about this evening’s drawing.
Morris, a community-based trainer in the exceptional children’s program at Salisbury High, said all but one of her favorite candidates won in Tuesday’s election. “And that’s rare for me,” she said.
Morris said she hopes her 17-year-old son, Seth, who just might end up with the car if she wins, will be her lucky charm at the drawing. “He’s been a big Obama worker,” she said, “so he’s on a winning streak.”
Another finalist, Heidrick, Rowan County’s finance director, appears to be on a lucky streak. She won a free cruise several months ago as part of a benefit for Nazareth Children’s Home.
The names of two of the finalists ó James and McDaniel ó weren’t drawn until Wednesday.
Ironically, James, a national advertising executive for the Salisbury Post, said his “check engine” light came on when he was driving to work that morning, and his engine started skipping. “That’s the first thing I thought of when I was told about being a finalist,” he said.
McDaniel, who operates Residential Garbage Service with her husband, Chad, is a first-time contributor to the United Way. When she received a letter asking for a contribution, McDaniel said she thought about all the people in need during these tough economic times.
“There are a lot of people that are out of work and that are really struggling,” she said. “I knew I could give something, and a lot of people can’t.”
Several of the candidates said they have never won anything. As soon as she said it, Efird, a science teacher at Carson High School, recalled winning a stuffed animal in a drawing at her dentist’s office.
Efird and Morris both said they hope the finalist who needs a new car the most ends up winning. “I’m not saying it wouldn’t be nice …” Efird said.
The 10 finalists expressed strong support for the Rowan County United Way.
Eudy, who works as a kindergarten teacher assistant and bus driver at Bostian Elementary, said she has contributed to the annual campaign for years. “And I have a story about why I do,” she said.
Her oldest son, Jeffrey, was only 2 when his dentist discovered he needed extensive dental surgery due to a calcium deficiency. “They wanted all the money up front,” she said, “and we could not afford it.”
She and her husband had just moved to Salisbury from Albermarle and started new jobs, so their insurance hadn’t gone into effect yet.
Eudy contacted the United Way, which arranged for them to get a $2,500 interest-free loan to cover the surgery until they could pay it off.
A summer employee of The Arc/Rowan, she said the United Way also contributed money to the agency this past summer for gas to transport developmentally disabled residents to camp. “So the United Way really has been there,” she said, “and the money stays in the county.”
Bias, who works in the street division for the city of Salisbury, said the United Way helped his coworker and neighbors after their residences burned.
“They help a lot of people,” he said. “A lot of people need it in times like these. Times are hard for everybody.”
Efird said she takes the Carson girls cross-country team to the United Way Invitational every year.
“It’s my girls’ favorite race because we always get to hear an inspirational message,” she said. “I think if they do that for all these kids just to kind of promote United Way and get it out in the community, I can just imagine what they’re doing behind the scenes.”
In years past, Morris said she has designated her donation to go to the Arc of Rowan and/or Rowan Vocational Opportunities. “But this year, I didn’t,” she said. “I thought there were plenty of other people who need it so I trust them to disperse it as they see fit.”
Pope, a concrete mixer, driver and dispatcher for Chandler Concrete, said he realized how much the Hanford-Dole Chapter of the American Red Cross did for Rowan County residents when he was put in charge of their account for the United Way Appropriations Committee one year.
“That encouraged me to keep giving every year,” he said. “I thought the Red Cross did blood drives and went to disasters and things like that, but that’s just a drop in the bucket to what they do.”
When his father lost his memory to Alzheimer’s disease at age 65, James said he began designating his contributions to Abundant Living Adult Day Care. In recent years, he hasn’t specified a particular agency to receive the funds.
“I just think all of them are worthy,” James said.
Strickland, who works in receiving and as a forklift distributor for Dillard’s Distribution Center, said he has always tried to give back whether it’s to the United Way or another worthy cause. “I like to do unto others just like I want done unto me.”
All 10 finalists said their families and coworkers are excited about this evening’s drawing.
Strickland said his employees have been cheering him on ever since his name was drawn. “They’re all going, ‘You’re going to win the car, you’re going to win the car,’ ” he said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I think so.’ ”
Efird said her family is excited. “My mom said she’s praying for me,” she said, “and my dad said, ‘Good luck.’ ”
Finalists said they’re taking family and/or coworkers with them to the drawing.
McDaniel said her whole family is planning to be at the drawing. “We’re going to have a good time no matter who wins,” she said.
Heidrick said she has to make sure she’s out of her 4 p.m. meeting in time for the drawing. “That’s my only worry,” she said.
Finalists must be present to win.
The grand finale for this year’s United Way campaign has been extended to Nov. 19 to allow more time to meet the $1,971,200 goal.