This Year, You Might Just Be the Lucky VIP

[COMMUNICATED CONTENT]

“It was late May. We were in middle of supper when the phone rang. My son glanced at the caller ID and told me ‘Mommy, it’s Hatzolah calling’.”

With these words, Mrs. Berger reminisces about one of the most amazing phone calls of her life. “Hello?” I said tremulously, thinking ‘what do they want from me?’

“‘Hello,” came the cheerful voice on the other end. “We are calling from Hatzolah to inform you that you have won the VIP prize!”

“‘VIP prize?” I gasped. “Are you serious?!”

“The voice on the other end laughed heartily. ‘Yes, I sure am! You just won one of the biggest prizes!’ she exclaimed. ‘You get a free shopping spree at Focus Camera!’

“I could not believe my ears. We never dreamed we’d really win, but win we did! And BIG!”

Mrs. Fishman, another VIP winner, shares her own memories of that monumental phone call. “I was so taken by surprise, because I didn’t even remember putting in for that prize!” she says. -“It must’ve been one of those entries that you got into automatically once you donated a certain amount. But regardless – my reaction was “OH MY! WE WON!”

“My kids shot out the door and within minutes the entire block knew that we had won a free shopping spree at Toys 4 U.”

Both women described how the fun began before they even reached the store. “Hatzolah worked out with us a convenient time to be taken to the store,” remembers Mrs. Berger. “At the appointed time, they showed up at our door with a Hatzolah ambulance! Nope, we weren’t going to get to the store in our plain old minivan – we were going to get there grand style!”

“The ambulance showed up in front of our house,” recalls Mrs. Fishman, “and before we knew it, the entire block was on hand to view the show! Some neighborhood boys even biked ahead of us to the store, to meet us there when we arrived!”

Both women described how nice and accommodating the Hatzolah members were. “They gave the kids a tour of the ambulance, showing them the equipment and explaining everything,” says Mrs. Fishman. “Eventually, we made our way to the store.”

“It was incredible,” enthuses Mrs. Berger. “I thought we would be given a small wagon or something, but they gave us a HUGE shopping cart! The kind they use in the big supermarkets! And then they told us – go ahead! Fill it up!”

Mrs. Fishman had anticipated how the children would make the most of the opportunity; after all, going through a toy store and grabbing things off the shelf is every child’s dream. What would the scene look like?! “My husband said he isn’t coming,” she laughs. “And I said – if you don’t come, I’m not going either! So we went together.”

“I was so impressed with the staff at Focus,” emphasizes Mrs. Berger. “They were so nice. We had the whole store to ourselves and they were so helpful. They helped each child find things that were perfect for them and every time the wagon seemed full, they pointed out that there was still some space here and there to squeeze in more things. I couldn’t believe it!”

Mrs. Fishman’s children had the time of their lives piling in as many toys as they could. “After we got home, I put away some of the toys,” she chuckles, “Because how many new toys do you need at once?”

Once the wagons were piled as high as they could be, it was time to proceed to the checkout, to pack everything up. “There was quite some pile to take home!” recalls Mrs. Fishman. “The Toys 4 U staff was so gracious; when one child picked a pair of roller blades, they gave us another pair for the other kid, even though he hadn’t put it into the wagon.”

“It’s even more grand than it says in the book,” gushes Mrs. Berger. “The Focus staff kept stuffing in more and more things. When one of the children spotted a keyboard, there was no way it would fit into the wagon. ‘No problem,’ they told us, ‘We’ll have that sent to your house separately’. It was unbelievable. Surely a prize, and a day to remember forever!”

Mrs. Berger then pauses and becomes reflective. “I am thinking about why we were in that raffle to begin with,” she says quietly. “That year, one of our immediate family members had an emergency situation that warranted immediate medical care. Hatzolah was there instantly and I recall the feeling of supreme relief: “Hatzolah is here and now I don’t have to do anything; they will take care of it all.” They were amazing. True shluchei Hashem. So when we went to the Auction that year, I told my kids ‘This year, we are giving more than we ever did. Hatzolah deserves it!'”

Indeed they do. They deserve your support and ours. For they are there – anytime, all the time, and on time.

Now it’s time we do it for them.

So let’s go Boro Park – go for it. Head out to the Auction Event this June and you never know – this year, you might just be the very lucky VIP!!!

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Auction tickets are available for purchase via the following:

At the Auction:

June 4, 5, & 6

1362 50th St.

By Mail:

Hatzolah of Boro Park

5215 16th Ave.

Brooklyn, NY 11204