Winner of bank raffle claims prize

And speaking of winnings, this morning a very jubilant Maria Perez, accompanied by her husband and two daughters, went to Atlantic Bank to claim her grand prize, a 2004 Toyota Hilux pickup. Perez won the new vehicle after her ticket was picked from among one hundred thousand coupons in Tuesday’s draw at the bank’s headquarters on Freetown Road. Perez says she was in neighbouring Mexico when she got the biggest phone call of her life.

Maria Perez, Winner, 2004 Toyota Hilux

“My husband called me, I was in Chetumal with my sisters and my kids were with me, and he called and told me that I had won the truck and I’m like, yeah right! I hung up and I still had not believed him. Then my nephew called me again and he said, “Tia, you won the truck.” I said, “Yes?” and started swearing, he said, “Juro por mi Madre.” (I swear on my mother) And I was like don’t do that. I told the kids, you know what, this is serious, and so called back my husband and told him I’m coming home now, if I won it I want it home now.”

Jacqueline Woods

“And this vehicle is just perfect for a family of four.”

Maria Perez

“Yes it is. We have been wanting one like this for a while now and every time we would go to the bank, I would tell the girls, this is my truck.”

This evening Perez drove the vehicle home. She had a total of two hundred tickets in the barrel.