Newsday’s Cash for Christmas winners

A mother of two and a senior citizen are both elated to have won $100,000 each in Newsday’s 2018 Cash for Christmas competition.

The competition started on November 1. Readers had to fill out an entry form and attach three mastheads from the paper, then submit it to any of Newsday’s three offices.

The two grand prize winners said they are both going to use the money wisely and try to help those in need. Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Wendy Nanan, 65, said she will use her prize to pay off her mortgage.

“I am so elated. I can’t believe I actually won, although I told myself I wish I could win the competition,” she said. “While I am elated, I thought I might have won and I did not put in much entries, but I am so glad I won the money. I had that financial burden over my head for the longest while and the money will go a long way toward my bills. I am extremely happy to win the competition.” She descibed Newsday as “the one paper I can depend on for independent news.”

Ramona Gonsalves, 33, the mother of two, will use her winnings to finish an apartment she recently started building.

Gonsalves said when she saw the competition in Newsday she decided to give it “a good shot” and invested by buying the paper daily from a supplier with a shop near her home. While the competition was running, she asked the shopkeeper to put aside 30 copies a day and would spend time after work cutting out the mastheads.

“I cut so many papers I have stacks of entry forms, because it is only the mastheads you needed. I was even asked by the shopkeeper if I am entering a competition and I started lying, saying my mother wanted papers. I often wonder if I could have won the weekly prizes. Right now I have 60 more entry forms in my car trunk.

“I am very grateful because I just started an apartment and money started to go all over....I spoke as if I had won the competition already, because that is how faith is.”