New Orleans Woman Wins NM HGTV Dream Home
by John Weckerle
A former science teacher and Peace Corps volunteer from New Orleans, whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, has won the HGTV Dream Home located at San Pedro Overlook near Cedar Crest. The winner, Myra Lewis, won a $2 million package which included the fully furnished home, a 2010 GMC Terrain, and $500,000.
Information from the press release includes:
NEW ORLEANS WOMAN WINS $2 MILLION GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE IN HGTV DREAM HOME GIVEAWAY 2010
New Orleans, La—[For Release Monday, March 15, 2010] The anguish of losing a home to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina was replaced by the joy of winning a new home when Myra Lewis learned she was the winner of the 2010 HGTV Dream Home, an enchanting, contemporary Pueblo-style home, located near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Lewis, assistant director of Dillard University’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice in New Orleans, Louisiana, is an avid HGTV fan who entered the giveaway each morning during the seven-week entry period. She was at home watching television with her son Chris when HGTV’s Jamie Durie knocked on the door to surprise her with the news. Her emotional reaction was broadcast around the country during the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway 2010 special on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
“I’m blown away,” said an emotional Lewis. “I’m blown away. This is just unbelievable!”
Lewis, whose name was drawn from more than 40 million entries, received the HGTV Dream Home 2010 grand-prize package with a value of $2 million. In addition to the new, custom-designed and fully furnished home, the grand prize package includes a 2010 GMC Terrain and $500,000.
New Orleans native Lewis, 63, is a former science teacher and Peace Corps volunteer. She and her son evacuated to Houston for six months following Katrina, but ultimately returned home to the community they loved so he could continue his art studies at Delgado Community College. They were particularly interested in the 2010 HGTV Dream Home because of the vibrant artists’ community in the Santa Fe area.
Lewis’s sister, Diedre Charlot, lives across the street and came rushing over as soon as she received a call from her weeping sister. “I thought someone had died,” said Charlot. The sisters had both entered the giveaway multiple times, reminding each other to enter every day. “She’d call me up and say did you register today? I just think it’s glorious.”
Viewers can still see a 360-degree virtual tour of the 2010 HGTV Dream Home, and read Super Fan Gail Fenton’s enthusiastic blogs on HGTV.com/dreamhome. In addition, they will soon be able to see the location of the 2011 HGTV Dream Home at Dream Home Central.