At the annual Art of the Vines fundraising event, the crowd beamed with excitement and anxiousness as the speaker was about to announce who had won the 2014 BMW drawing this year. Little did they know that the winner to be announced was actually cooking in her kitchen at home at the time.

Lori Governale; wife, mother, grandmother, and Grief Facilitator at New Hope for Kids had no idea she would be winning the 2014 BMW drawing when she entered in the lottery. Coming up on her fourth year as a Grief Facilitator she has become a part of the New Hope for Kids volunteer community. Lori said about her experience at New Hope that, “It is very satisfying for me. I feel like it is helping me as much as I am helping with the children.” Having experienced loss at a young age herself Lori felt that being a Grief Facilitator was a rewarding experience that she enjoyed being a part of, especially since her kids have grown up to be adults with kids of their own now, she believed volunteering here was a meaningful place to be spending her time.

When Lori listened to the message on her phone that she had won the BMW drawing this year she was dumbfounded! She had never won anything before and at first she did not even believe it. She was in such disbelief that after she told her husband of the news she called Tamari, Grief Program Director, to ask if this was real. Lori said of this news,” At first I thought it was a joke and so that’s why I called Tamari. When I heard her say it was real and that “Yes, I did win,” I was very surprised and excited!”