Surprise! Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol shocks Port St. Lucie woman with big check
PORT ST. LUCIE — Have you had that nightmare, when the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol van pulls up to your house to award you a big check, flowers and champagne ... and you're not home to collect it?
It was reality Thursday for Lorena Logan.
Howie Guja of the famed Prize Patrol Elite Team and his cameraman arrived at Logan's home on Southeast Euclid Lane at noon, but were met at the door by her daughter, Ashley.
Ashley said her mom was out visiting a friend, so Guja asked her to call her as many times as it took to get her home — but without alarming her or tipping her off to the surprise.
Logan later said she had her phone’s ringer volume down and didn’t hear the 30 or so calls from her daughter.
When she returned home around 2 p.m. Guja and his crew had parked down the street away from the home and waited until she went inside before approaching with a large $10,000 check, roses and champagne.
“Is this real?” asked Lorena Logan when she came to the door, clearly shocked.
Asked what she planned to do with her winnings she said, “bills,” and “I want to do something special for my daughter.
“Oh, this will come in handy,” said Lorena Logan. “It’s been a little rough.”
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Ashley Logan said they are originally from Boston but had lived in Port St. Lucie for about 18 years.
Guja said Logan had entered to win every day for the past month, which he said was as far back as he could see in Publishers Clearing House sweepstake records.
“I didn’t want to stop,” Lorena Logan said.
The prize came on St. Patrick’s Day and just days ahead of Logan’s 62nd birthday.
It was the luck of the Irish for the Logans, who said they are "a small percentage Irish."
“We’re going out for dinner tonight,” she said to her daughter.
Guja provided a behind-the-scenes look into the high-energy production.
Originally from New York, he flew into West Palm Beach Thursday morning and said he would fly out that evening.
He said he’s been on the Prize Patrol Elite Team for eight years and worked with Publishers Clearing House for 16 years.
Along the way, he said he’s traveled across the United States delivering checks and recording reactions.
“We want a legitimate surprise,” he said.
He organized a media rendezvous at Publix at 9100 South U.S. 1 ahead of the first effort to reach Logan.
Before he arrived, he stopped at a local printer for the big check then bolted through the grocery store hand picking the bubbly and roses and after he filmed a quick intro segment in the parking lot.
Following the first attempt to deliver the check, he went out for lunch at SteamWorks Coffeebar in Port St. Lucie.
He said “it’s pretty common” that winners aren’t reached right away.
“I would say one out of every 5 winners are not home, but we generally find them pretty quickly,” he said.
Recently in Utah, he said it took four hours to track down his lucky target.
It took just two hours to get to Logan.
“We always find our winners,” he said.
Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Publishers Clearing House shocks Treasure Coast woman with big check
