12 KEYS OF CHRISTMAS
Counting down to Christmas, one key at a time
Posted on Dec 17, 2015by Harold Reutter
And then there was … Dr. Sara Graybill, who won a Hyundai Elantra donated by Tom Dinsdale Automotive as part of the annual Heartland United Way Campaign.
Graybill was one of 12 people who donated a minimum of $208 to the annual Heartland United Way campaign to qualify to win a “key” to win the car.
Each of the 12 had earlier picked up a gift-wrapped box resting on the Elantra’s windshield. They then opened the box to find a numbered key. As Dinsdale noted, the key did not open or start anything. The only importance the key had was its number.
Tom Dinsdale next drew Graybill’s number from a cloth sack, but put in his coat pocket without revealing it to anyone. He announced that the first number drawn would be the winner of the car.
Of course, an immediate announcement would end all the suspense and Dinsdale was not about to do that. He said he would draw each of the remaining 11 numbers from the bag and then announce it.
“You do not want your number drawn,” said Dinsdale, who noted that meant they had lost the opportunity to win the Elantra.
On the other hand, no one went away empty-handed because each of the 11 “losers” won a gift certificate worth a minimum of $100 as well as a gift. One-by-one, Dinsdale drew out the numbers, announced it, and waited for one of the 12 people to say they had the corresponding number.
Finally, the numbers came down to a trio of United Way contributors: Gray, Jeremy Pankonin of Hornady Manufacturing, and Melinda Rother with the Grand Island Public Schools. Dinsdale drew Rother’s number, leaving only Gray and Pankonin.
He then drew out the suspense a little further before revealing that Graybill’s number had been the first one drawn, making her the winner. Graybill reacted almost in disbelief.
Later, the Grand Island physician revealed that she considered herself a person “who never won anything.” As a result, Graybill said, she was surprised to learn that she was even a person who had won one of the 12 numbered keys, “much less a car.”
“It’s good to win a car on your first time,” she said.
Graybill said it was a little ironic she and Pankonin were the final two people standing. She noted they each had daughters in gymnastics, which meant they had become friends as they watched their children compete in the activity.
Because of their friendship, Graybill said, they spent much of the evening chatting during the reception that led up to the final drawing.
While the car was the suspenseful part of the evening, the 12 Keys of Christmas was also a celebration of the successful 2015 Heartland United Way campaign. Dinsdale said he had donated a car as an incentive for people to give to the annual Heartland United Way campaign because of all the good done by its agencies.
The Heartland United Way serves people in Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick counties. This year, for the first time, each of the four counties had its own campaign chairs: Ron Depue for Hall County, Aaron Kunz for Merrick County, Jayne Mann for Hamilton County and Joe Mlinar for Howard County.
“We walked the walk,” said Depue of the decision to have a campaign chair for each of the four counties. He said his three fellow co-chairs for the other counties “did a great job of laying the foundation for many, many years to come.”
Karen Rathke, president of the Heartland United Way, noted that it was no surprise about the 12 people who won keys because they each work for employers who are among the most generous contributors to annual campaign.
Rathke gave a toast to all the many people who helped make the annual campaign a success.
Tammy Morris, Grand Island Community Foundation chief executive officer, was invited forward when the total of $511,7317 was announced for the annual “Go Big Give” event, which benefits a number of local charitable causes.
It was announced that the annual Heartland United Way campaign had raised $1.3 million to date, which means that a total of $1,811,737 had been raised between Go Big Give and the annual Heartland United Way campaign.
Donors chosen from Monday, Nov. 30, through Tuesday, Dec. 15
Kevin Werner, Five Points Bank; Marilyn Leth, Global Industries; Sol Garcia, CNH Industrial; Jeremy Pankonin, Hornady Manufacturing; Dale Morgan, McCain Foods; Shirley Regan, Wells Fargo Bank; Brook Sautter, Principal Financial Group; Melinda Rother, Grand Island Public Schools; Amanda Luzzo, Credit Management; Dee Price, Retired Community Donor; Dr. Sara Graybill, Family Practice of Grand Island; Holly Nott, Home Federal Bank.