Christmas came early for a Sudbury man and his young family this week when the United Way Centraide of North East Ontario named the winner of the Winter Warmth Furnace Contest, presented in a partnership with 669-HEAT, a Sudbury-based heating/cooling HVAC contractor.
The winner of the contest is Guy Jodouin, 30, of Chelmsford who has three young daughters and a fiancée. The family lives in an older home, described as something of a fixer-upper, that his friends said could certainly use a new furnace, since the old one keeps breaking down.
The contest was announced earlier in the fall by United Way as a chance to lend a hand and some winter warmth to a family that was deserving.
People were asked to nominate a family or a friend that would benefit from having a new furnace.
The nominations were accepted by United Way and sent over to 669-HEAT where the individual stories were reviewed and considered by employees at that firm.
United Way executive director Mary Lou Hussak said several nominations were sent in, all with compelling stories of deserving people. She said the winning decision was partly tied to the fact that two distinct nominations were made for the Jodouin Family.
Hussak said Jodouin was described by one nominator as an unselfish dad who works hard in an out-of-town job and would often be worried for his daughters and fiancée when the furnace would break down. That nominator wrote:
"With his fiancée they do an amazing job with these little girls, but everything being so expensive, going out to buy a new furnace is really not possible. We're hoping he gets picked so he can finally for once have an amazing win and gift for him and his family of girls, knowing he doesn't have to worry about the broken down furnace this year. Please pick him and give him peace of mind," the first nominator.
The second nominator noted that Jodouin is a hard-working fellow who could do without the worry of whether the heat will be on.
"He sometimes can work crazy hours and having a new dependable furnace would help him rest easy knowing he doesn't have to worry about the heat this winter. They are so deserving," the nominator wrote.
In his thank you comment to the United Way Jodouin said he knew he would eventually have to replace his furnace but said the donation from United Way and 669-HEAT "was a lot of weight off my shoulders."
He added that he was touched by the kind words of the nominators.
"That's pretty touching. I mean it hit me right in the heart. It was nice to hear; those words were nice to hear. It's nice to be appreciated, I guess you could say," Jodouin said.
