After 25 years of marriage, Cheryl and Eddie Lugo of Toms River, NJ will finally be enjoying their first vacation together, thanks to a $10,000 prize courtesy of Liberty Travel, the retail agency chain.
The couple was declared the winners of Liberty Travel's $10,000 Dream Vacation Giveaway, a promotion that was open for entries between January and February of this year. The giveaway asked entrants to submit a brief description of why they deserved a $10,000 Dream Vacation.
Promoted heavily with both online and traditional media, the giveaway attracted more than 4,000 entries, Liberty Travel reports. That number was narrowed down to three finalists for the second phase of the competition, which put the final decision to public vote on www.libertytravel.com.
Entrants were also welcome to nominate someone they felt deserved the award. Cheryl and Eddie were nominated by their daughter Lauren. The couple had no idea they were entered in the contest until Lauren's nomination was picked as one of three finalists and they were contacted by Liberty Travel.
"The quality of the entries was overwhelming, but we had definite criteria that we were looking for in the finalists," said Jameson Kowalczyk, a member of Liberty Travel's marketing team. "Altruism ranked high on the list, people who made personal sacrifices for the benefit of their friends and family, who passed up opportunities to see the world to make the world better for those around them."
The winners will officially accept their award at the grand opening ceremony of Liberty Travel's new East 8th Street Store in New York City on May 11.
Visit www.LibertyTravel.com.