When Ricardo Alvarado answered his phone last week, he thought the person on the other end was telling him that he’d been entered into Suddenlink Communication’s “Win a Home Upgrade” sweepstakes, he said.
The grand prize was $25,000.
“I never win anything,” he said. “Then they called again today and asked if I was going to be home so they could bring me the check!”
Originally from Puerto Rico, Alvarado, along with his daughter, Brenda, 22, and grandson Anthony, 3, moved to Leesville from California only a few months ago, he said. An employee with the Department of Defense, Alvarado is the business operation officer of the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation for Fort Polk.
Who knew that the process of setting up house in Leesville would make him $25,000 richer?
Individuals who upgraded their services with Suddenlink or who ordered new, qualifying services between March 1 and April 15 were automatically entered into the sweepstakes, said Julie McEachern, the regional marketing manager located in Bossier City, for Suddenlink.
McEachern, along with four other Suddenlink representatives from El Dorado (Ark.) and Leesville offices, presented Alvarado with the check Monday afternoon as Alvarado’s daughter and parents looked on.
But Alvarado doesn’t plan to use the funds for a home upgrade, he said. Instead, he wants to help his daughter finish her associates degree in criminal justice at Northwestern State University’s Leesville-Fort Polk campus.
Brenda was only a few credits away from that degree when the family moved to Leesville, she said. Now, she’s unsure of how far away her goal is, as she’s waiting to see how her credits will transfer.
Alvarado’s parents, in Leesville for a visit from Puerto Rico, were scheduled to return to the island on Tuesday.
“I’m thinking we’re not going back,” Alvarado’s father said, jokingly.
Suddenlink awarded about 22 prizes in the sweepstakes, including a $1,000 prize to a recipient in Alexandria, said McEachern.