Corozal man wins house from Courts
Most of the nation’s big raffles were drawn in the final feverish weeks in the runup to Christmas. Most, but not all. Today the mother of all Belizean raffles was concluded at a familiar location on North Front Street. News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams was on hand as Courts chose its lucky winner.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
It’s every Belizean’s dream to own his or her own home. That dream came through twice for thirty-one year-old Marcelino Salazar of Corozal Town. Salazar, who already owns a house in Corozal, this morning won a second home in Ladyville when his name was picked from three quarter of a million entries in the Courts 2000 and win draw.
Anamarie Bennett, Advertising/Promotions Manager, Courts
?You are the lucky winner of Courts 2000 and win draw of a house and land at Vista Del Mar worth over eighty-thousand dollars.?
Voice of Marcelino Salazar on Phone, Courts Winner
?My goodness! Is it true??
Anamarie Bennett
?Congratulations, you have Love FM, Channel 5, Channel 7, all the newspapers listening to you right now.?
Voice of Marcelino Salazar
?Really??
Anamarie Bennett
?Yes. Congratulations. Where are you right now??
Voice of Marcelino Salazar
?In Corozal.?
Anamarie Bennett
?You?re in Corozal. Any feelings at all about this??
Voice of Marcelino Salazar
?I?m just so surprised. I?m at the Free Zone working and it is a surprise for me. I don?t know what to say.?
Anamarie Bennett
?What do you do at the Free Zone??
Voice of Marcelino Salazar
?I work in a company. I manage a company.?
The three-bedroom, one thousand square ft. structure is situated on a 100×75 lot in the Vista Del Mar area of Ladyville. It comes semi-furnished with a stove, refrigerator, washer, queen sized bed and back support mattress. Electricity and water are also connected and there’s even an alarm system to make the place more secure.
Advertising and Promotions Manager Anamarie Bennett says their ideal winner would have been a customer who does not own a home, but the luck of the draw makes everyone equal.
Anamarie Bennett
“I was hoping that it would have been somebody who didn?t have a home and really needed some place…shelter or something, but the fact that he?s one of our customers makes it special, so it doesn?t matter. We?re glad to give him the house anyway.”
This was also a special season for Courts. Christmas aside, customers made huge purchases to qualify for the house raffle.
Anamarie Bennett
“Belize of course is the biggest by far. But although Corozal was just onboard, we had good sales from Corozal. I don?t have the figures on hand, so I can?t say where, but everybody broke their targets we set for them for the year, so it was really good.”
And Bennett says some really good promotions are planned for this new year. Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
Salazar will receive the keys to his new home on Tuesday in Ladyville.
