Hundreds of people attend final drawing at St. Mary’s Bank

MANCHESTER, NH - One hundred contestants had been invited, but many more showed up at St. Mary’s Bank on Saturday, April 26 for the final drawing of the “Bags To Riches” contest sponsored by St. Mary’s Bank, the nation’s first credit union, and radio station 95.7 WZID.

In the end, the Jacobs family of Hooksett were the lucky winners, with dad Eric Jacobs taking home the guaranteed $10,000 prize.

Family and friends gathered in the festive atmosphere at the credit union’s McGregor Street branch. There were balloons, hot dogs, soft drinks, music, jokes and a sense of general excitement as the 100 contestants picked up crisp $100 bills for making the cut.

One young woman held up a sign that said, “Go Dad, I need a new car.”

As part of the final drawing, St. Mary’s Bank President and CEO Ronald J. Rioux picked out the golden eggs in a round tumbler that contained the names of each contestant. He picked a total of 10 names, which were read to the crowd by WZID radio personalities Mike Morin and Nancy Robbins. As each name was announced, a roar went up through the waiting crowd.

Each of the final 10 thought about how best to use the money – some said they’d go on vacation, others said they would donate to their church - but it was only one contestant who would eventually win the cash.

Just before 3 p.m. on Saturday, Mike and Nancy read off the name of Eric Jacobs of Hooksett, NH. Although he did not pick the money bag containing the $100,000 grand prize, he did take home the guaranteed $10,000 prize. Jacobs and his family also happen to be members of St. Mary’s Bank.

Jacobs and his entire family were on hand to pick up the prize, and he said he would use the money to do something that may be familiar to a lot of folks – pay off some bills.

“This contest has been a lot of fun for everyone at St. Mary’s Bank,” said Elizabeth Stodolski, Vice President, Director of Marketing for St. Mary’s Bank. “We’re excited for all our winners, especially the Jacobs family.”

You can view WMUR's news clip on the event by clicking on this link: http://www.wmur.com/video/16192038/index.html