School earns $1,000 in apple sweepstakes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Holly Whetstone
(800) 456-2753
(Napoleon, Mich.) Eating apples has paid off handsomely for Ezra Eby Elementary, one of six schools in the state to win the first-ever Michigan Apple School Sweepstakes.
The school received $1,000 from the Michigan Apple Committee after being selected in the random drawing, which required entrants to submit proofs of purchase from bags of Michigan apples.
According to Principal Pam Barnes, the prize money will be used for the Accelerated Reader program, which rewards students in 2nd through 5th grades with pizza lunches with the principal for every 10 books they have read from a required reading list.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have this money to put toward Accelerated Reader,” said Barnes, upon receiving the check on Wednesday.
The Michigan Apple School Sweepstakes, sponsored by the Michigan Apple Committee, originated to encourage the consumption of Michigan apples, raise awareness that most Michigan apples are sold in bags and learn more about the Michigan apple industry.
Denise Yockey, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee, said, “We are thrilled to see students developing healthy eating habits while at the same time, supporting the efforts of the 1,000 apple growers in the state. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.”
Due to excitement surrounding the program, which offered a total of $12,000 in prize money, Michigan Apple Committee will expand the competition next year to include separate contests for schools in Indiana, as well as Illinois.
Information about the Michigan Apple School Sweepstakes, including official contest rules, can be found at MichiganApples.com/schoolsandkids. Any accredited public or private K-12 school in Michigan was eligible to participate.
The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to promotion, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption by consumers in Michigan and around the world. For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.