This is Diane Vaillancourt. She's the big $1,000 spending spree winner in the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID's annual Valentine's Day Raffle. Diane has a great story that we wanted to share:
On October 29 2012, I became homeless and lost mostly everything, at least all furniture, due to Hurricane Sandy. I was lucky to have a girlfriend who has been there for me all the way through. I also had my priest, a parishioner from St Paul's Church, who rescued me and two friends and gave me a roof for five months in Park Slope. After I moved to my friend's house I went to Baluchi's Restaurant with my girlfriend and filled out the raffle tickets. I usually don't, but I needed all the help I could get.
A month after, I was again with my girlfriend driving in Park Slope towards Carol Garden and I had a call from Irene (Irene LoRe, Executive Director of the BID) "you won first prize!" I was so excited and so pleased. It was not so much the money, but winning "something" after loosing so much. I used the one thousand wisely at Fifth Avenue stores and got myself a bed at Sleepy's, basic items at a store called Save on Fifth, the tea shop (worth stopping by), a few other stores and, of course, Baluchi's.
I thank dearly the Park Slope 5th Ave Bid, it cheered me up. I have a bed now and a few other basic items. It's a new start and I wish all survivors to keep going with hope and faith. It's the post-disaster that is the most challenging. But, there are always pleasant surprises on our path, not only disasters and hardships. I will be back to Fifth Avenue to fill out raffle tickets and encourage others to do the same.
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