Mi Shot to Win Drawing
An Oakland County woman won the $2 million grand prize in the final round of drawings of the MI Shot to Win COVID-19 vaccine sweepstakes.
Christine Duval of Bloomfield Township is $2 million richer, the Protect Michigan Commission announced Monday, while also naming the nine young Michiganders who were awarded college scholarships and the last round of $50,000 daily winners.
Duval, who moved to Michigan 13 years ago with her husband and three children from Montreal, got her COVID-19 vaccines in April. She said she plans to use the money to pay for college for her kids and to renovate their home and will donate some of it, too.
"We are really lucky," Duval said, "and we want to give back to those in need. The pandemic was tough on everyone and we believe the need for providing services that promote positive mental health care is more important now than ever. It's why we'll be donating some of our grand prize to improve mental health services in our community. It's a cause very close to my heart."
The lottery-style sweepstakes began July 1 to entice more state residents to take COVID-19 vaccines and included giveaways of nearly $5 million in cash and scholarships. More than 2.4 million adults registered to win cash prizes and about 106,000 students ages 12-17 signed up for the scholarship drawings.
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"Thanks to the efforts of so many, and every Michigander who got their shot, the MI Shot to Win Sweepstakes has been a success," said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer during a Monday morning news conference. "Every public health expert will tell you the middle of the summer always shows lower vaccination rates than any other time of year — whether it's for chickenpox, measles, or COVID-19.
"In June, for example, we saw our vaccinations declined week over week for that whole month. But the sweepstakes helped Michigan reverse that trend."
The sweepstakes featured a single drawing for $50,000 each day for 30 days for adults who got a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine between July 1-July 30. They also had a chance to win a $1 million drawing if they got a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine between Dec. 1 and July 10. The $2 million drawing was open to any adult resident who got a first dose of a vaccine between Dec. 1 and July 30.
More:6 more $50,000 winners in 'MI Shot To Win' COVID-19 vaccine sweepstakes, 1st from U.P.
For vaccinated 12-to-17-year-olds, there were nine chances to win a four-year Michigan Education Trust (MET) Charitable Tuition Program contract valued at $55,000 each. To be eligible, teens and tweens must have gotten a first dose between Dec. 1 and July 30.
The scholarship winners are:
- Landon Burkhart, Dakota High School, Macomb County
- Karan Choudhary, Plymouth High School, Wayne County
- Josiah DeBaets, Eastern High School, Kent County
- Ian Miller, Salem High School, Wayne County
- Meadow Surman, White Lake Middle School, Oakland County
- Mallory Wheeler, Reading High School, Hillsdale County
- Jackson Wittwer, Eisenhower High School, Macomb County
- Kamare Wright, Thurston High School, Wayne County
- Hudson Chambers, Grand Rapids City High/Middle School, Kent County
The winners of the $50,000 daily prizes announced Monday are:
- Todd Demeyers of Oakland Township, who was vaccinated July 23
- Alyssa Armstrong of Caledonia, who was vaccinated July 24
- Caleb Nielsen of Paw Paw, who was vaccinated July 25
- Brandon Ebright of Okemos, who was vaccinated July 26
- Kevin Underwood of Lowell, who was vaccinated July 27
- Brian Kulesz of Sterling Heights, who was vaccinated July 28
- Jacqueline Paul of Indian River, who was vaccinated July 29
- Breya Matthews of Grand Rapids, who was vaccinated July 30
They join nearly two dozen other Michiganders who have won $50,000 in daily drawings in the sweepstakes after getting their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in July.
LaTonda Anderson, of Grand Blanc, won the $1 million prize in the sweepstakes.
More:Genesee County woman wins $1 million prize in MI Shot To Win COVID-19 vaccine lottery
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Meijer operated the contest, and the state of Michigan provided a grant for the program, funded by federal COVID-19 relief dollars.
The goal was to entice more Michiganders to get COVID-19 vaccines and help the state reach its target of 70% of residents 16 and older with at least one dose, but the state fell short of that benchmark.
During the month of July, 141,809 residents ages 16 and older got coronavirus vaccines, according to the state's COVID-19 vaccine dashboard. That pushed the immunization rate among that population from 61% to 63%.
But state leaders say the sweepstakes were successful because the weekly total number of first-dose immunizations rose week-over-week during the contest period:
- 28,770 first doses were administered July 4-10
- 30,502 first doses were administered July 11-17
- 35,952 first doses administered July 18-24
- 41,150 first doses administered July 25-30
"We're going to keep making efforts to reach people where they are, answer their questions and help people get their shots," Whitmer said. "Our lottery was just one strategy we use to promote vaccinations. The work ahead is harder still, but we will get there."
Whitmer created the Protect Michigan Commission in January to work within the state health department to educate the public about COVID-19 vaccines and help overcome vaccine hesitancy.
"The sweepstakes and news coverage helped spur conversations between families and friends. ... Several winners who were previously unvaccinated before the sweepstakes said they were inspired to get their vaccinations based on those discussions and the prizes they could win," said Protect Michigan Commission Director Kerry Ebersole Singh.
As of Friday, nearly 5.3 million Michiganders ages 16 and older, or 65% of that population, have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state's vaccine dashboard.
About 402,600 more state residents ages 16 and older would need a first dose of the vaccine to hit the 70% goal.
"Every time somebody gets vaccinated, it's a life-saving dose they're receiving that gets us one step closer toward reaching our 70% goal," Ebersole Singh said.
Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.
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Source: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/08/23/mi-shot-to-win-michigan-covid-19-vaccine-lottery-winners-sweepstakes/8217051002/
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