South Jersey Mom Wins LITE 96.9’s $1,000 Christmas Wish

We have a winner for the LITE 96.9 Christmas Wish $1000 prize courtesy of Atlantic City Electric.

A Worthy Christmas Promotion

What an experience the LITE 96.9 Christmas Wish turned into for me. I was selected to keep track of the submissions in our Holiday giveaway with Atlantic City Electric of $1000 to a South Jersey family in need.

We received about 70 nominations over the course of the promotion, all of which pulled on my heartstrings with their emotion, need, and the sincerity of friends, family, and coworkers who took the time to tell the story of local people in need.

The response was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking at once.

Beautiful that people cared enough about others to take the time to send such thoughtful and caring submissions for their freinds in need.

Heartbreaking that there are so many folks in need in our community. It was hard to pick only one winner, but that was the job I had, and the choice became clear to me as the promotion went on.

Parts of the Winning Submission

Gina from Palermo wrote to tell us about Angela.

"My dear friend Angela is the rock of her family. She is a single mom and works two jobs to put her twins through college. What she has been through is unimaginable.

 

Six years ago, tragedy struck when she lost her 11-year-old son Micah to gun violence. She was sitting with him at a high school football game in Pleasantville when a shooter fired into the crowd, striking and eventually killing her son.

 

Many people would just crumble, but Angela is the strongest person I know. She needed to be there for her twins, who were trying to make sense out of the tragic loss of their brother. She is a great mom and a great person. She also takes care of her aging grandmother.

 

Her two jobs are physically and emotionally demanding. She works with autistic children by day, and her nights and weekends as a home health aide for the elderly. Angela has the biggest heart, and her students and patients love her.

 

She is all things to all people and puts her own needs on the back burner to be there for others. She never complains, and that is the reason that I am nominating her for this Christmas wish.

 

She deserves a break, and this money could definately help."

 

A Friendship Born From Tragedy

When I reached out to Gina to tell her that I had selected her submission, she was overwhelmed with emotion. We arranged a time to conference her on the phone with Angela to tell her that she had won the $1000 LITE 96.9 Christmas Wish from Atlantic City Electric.

As we talked, I asked Gina how she met Angela. She said she had heard about Mikah being shot and dying, and it was so awful that she felt the need to reach out to her and try to ease her pain somehow.

After the two women connected on Facebook, they developed a friendship, talking every so often and getting to know each other. That was six years ago, and the friendship has become a deep and special one.

Angela calls Gina, "Momma G", saying she acts like a mother to her.

I called Angela after hearing this story from Gina, and she immediately confirmed that Momma G was a very special person to her. As they talked, the feeling between the two ladies was absolutely beautiful. I will never forget it.

Angela, who was on her way to her first of two jobs of the day, didn't hesitate when I asked how she would spend her $1000 Christmas Wish prize. "I will use it to help pay my bills", she said.

Thanks to Atlantic City Electric

My thanks to Atlantic City Electric for stepping up to help South Jersey families in need during the Holidays, by being our partner for the second year with LITE 96.9's $1000 Christmas Wish.

"Atlantic City Electric is proud to support neighbors in need. It's another way you can count on them."