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And the winner is ...

Local couple raking in the prizes through various contests

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Peachtree City residents Beverly and Kevin Mitchell don’t know who coined the phrase, “You’ve got to play to win,” but they know it is the absolute truth.

Not only did Beverly recently win the Baby Fest 2005 sweepstakes giving her $1,500 in Publix gift cards and $3,500 in gift certificates to Pottery Barn Kids, but she and her husband also won numerous tickets to free events over the last year and a half, as well as several other prizes from regional contests.

“I always wondered if anybody ever won this stuff,” Beverly said. “I guess they do.”

The competition was open to four districts, with the Atlanta district also including Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. Though millions of people could enter the contest as often as they wished only 3,000 entered from the Atlanta district. Beverly submitted four entries into the contest and was told of her winning the sweepstakes in late January.

“It’s amazing,” said Beverly. “I still can’t believe it.”

She should be used to winning by now, though. The contest bug bit the couple several years ago. A question was asked on a golf show on the radio, Kevin knew the answer and told Beverly to call. She was the lucky caller, gave the correct answer and won a special package at Chateau Elan. In 2000, the couple filled out a survey about their favorite restaurants in the area and won the grand prize of $1,000.

Beverly and her husband have also been winning free tickets to local events by calling phone numbers listed in Access Atlanta. Each person in a household can call the number twice, so with four entries per household the Mitchells have won tickets to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The Center for Puppetry Arts, Chastain Park, the Fox Theatre, Fernbank and the High Museum. Their son, Cameron, has inherited the winning tradition as well. Recently, he entered a contest where he had to complete a maze and won tickets to the circus for him and his family.

The Mitchells can’t always use the tickets they win, but they don’t go to waste. On more than one occasion, family members and friends have received the tickets. The Mitchells make it a point to be generous and help out others in various other ways, though they often do it anonymously or through their church.

The Mitchells will now get to enjoy spending their gift certificates and decorating the room of Tessa, their baby. They will continue to enter the numerous contests and sweepstakes, both online and by mail, but it doesn’t eat up too much of their money or time. In fact, the cost of entering the Baby Fest sweepstakes was around $1.50 in stamps and if they have received any more junk mail from entering these contests, they feel it is a small price to pay.

Though many people call them lucky, the Mitchells disagree and prefer to call themselves blessed.ey about their favorite restaurants in the area and won the grand prize of $1,000.