Children’s hospital patient Grant Wilcher announced as BankPlus’ Orlando dream giveaway winner

JACKSON, Miss. –This year’s Thanksgiving dinner is going to be a little different for 12-year-old Grant Wilcher of Union, Miss. and his family. Instead of aunts and uncles and cousins, they’ll be hanging out with Mickey and Goofy and Donald.

“We’re going to Disney World!” Grant said yesterday after his family was announced as the winner of BankPlus’ Orlando Dream Giveaway.

Wilcher and his family were presented a vacation package worth more than $10,000 that includes roundtrip airfare, ground transportation, five days/four nights’ accommodation at Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Resort, tickets to Walt Disney World parks and a $1,000 BankPlus Visa gift card. They plan to take the trip over the long Thanksgiving holiday.

“My daughter thought it was a scam,” said Lori Wilcher, Grant’s mom. 

Once they realized they had in fact won the contest, Wilcher said they all got a little emotional.

“It’s just really exciting,” she said.

The Wilchers qualified for the contest because of his stay at Batson Children’s Hospital for a neurological condition that causes headaches and other symptoms.

The Orlando Dream Giveaway contest was open to any family that had a child stay at Batson Children’s Hospital for at least one night between March 15, 2013, and June 30, 2014. Eligible families participated through Facebook and mail. 

In addition to the Batson patient family, any holder of the BankPlus Friends of Children’s Hospital Visa CheckCard who used the card between March 15-June 30, 2014, was automatically entered into the contest for a second, identical grand prize. DeDe Franciskato of Madison won that prize.

First issued in 2011, BankPlus has issued more than 8,400 Friends of Children’s Hospital Visa CheckCards. This year alone, these cards will be swiped more than one million times. With each swipe, BankPlus donates money to Friends.

Rob Armour, BankPlus chief marketing and business development officer, who also sits on the Friends of Children’s Hospital board, said the CheckCard has established itself as a major ongoing fundraiser for the Friends organization.

“What this means is that in less than three years, this CheckCard program will raise over  half a million dollars for Friends to help Batson Children’s Hospital,” Armour said.  

Photos

	High Resolution Medium Resolution Low Resolution
	New Resources High Resolution Medium Resolution Low Resolution