Saipan Tribune

Friday, May 24, 2013

Monday, March 18, 2013

Raffle, dance contest caps McDonald's 20th anniversary bash

The Galang family will have a great birthday celebration for two of its members after winning the grand prize of $1,000 worth of Joeten Superstore gift certificates in McDonald's Saipan's 20th Anniversary Customer Appreciation event on Saturday.

Rafael Christian Galang's ticket number became the winning ticket after dozens of other ticket numbers were called out but their owners were not present during the raffle draw, one of the highlights of the event held at the parking lot of McDonald's Chalan Laulau branch.

Hundreds of community members took part in the event, which capped McDonald's Saipan's celebration of being in the business for two decades.

Galang's mom, Rizza, said that their luck is very timely because her son Rafael just turned 8 last Saturday while another son, Aldraine, will be celebrating his birthday on Tuesday.

“It's a great gift for our family. We weren't expecting to win but we were hopeful, especially since a lot of people who were called out were not present. We're a regular customer of McDonald's because we have kids. We thank them for this promotion,” she told Saipan Tribune.

Kagman resident Kimberly Acebo, who had four raffle entries, won the second prize-a 32” flat screen television.

“I won in a raffle two years ago but didn't get the prize because I didn't stay behind. So this time, I'm glad I stayed until the end,” said Acebo, who claimed her prize with her daughter Kelly.

Luz Gapor of San Roque said she's very happy to bring home the third prize, an Acer netbook. “I've been here since 9am to support McDonald's in their 20th anniversary celebration,” said Gapor.

McDonald's Saipan also gave away minor prizes: Etzzy Rappul, a toaster oven; John Palacios and Mariana Castro, dinner for two at Kili Café & Terrace at Hyatt Regency Saipan; Liz Romolar, blender; Lei B. and Barbie Iglesia, $20 worth of baked goods at Herman's Modern Bakery; Margo Gifford, Juliet Isip, and Cassidee, one-day pass for one at Spaness, Saipan World Resort; Bowie Lorraine and Marivic Tumalad, one 8” round regular cake.

Meanwhile, the Mobil promotion winners were Miyanchi Hozumi, who won $100 worth of fuel; and Yongniam Kuang, who won a McDonald's package.

All minor prize and Mobil winners will be contacted on how to claim their prizes.

“We're happy to see a lot of people join in the fun and celebration that McDonald's Saipan had in store for them. We thank them for all their support and we hope they continue to patronize us. We look forward to serving them in the next 20 years. God bless them and their families,” said Marcia Ayuyu, McDonald's Saipan general manager.

Dance crew winners

Saturday's event also featured a dance crew competition involving two age categories.

Fruit Ninjahz Krew outshone three other competitors in the 12 to 19 group to win $300 in cash and a trophy.

The group has a total of nine members, but only six performed at the contest. They are all 11th graders at Marianas High School: Nathan Palacios, Jonas Dartaven, Dan Ibarra, Ken Adeva, Wayne Radayum, and George Sablan.

“We didn't really expect to win. We did this for us and to perform for our audience. We're really happy we won. We thank the organizers, judges, and the rest of the crowd for bearing with our technical difficulties,” the group, which was formed in October 2011 and prepared for the contest in just one day, said in an interview.

According to Fruit Ninjahz Krew, dancing keeps them healthy, prevents them from doing bad stuff, and helps build stronger friendship. The group plans to use their prize money to celebrate by camping in Managaha or to pay for their dance uniform.

For the 6 to 11 category, the Green Meadow School or GMS Dance Crew bested three other young groups by dancing to the tune of Shakira's Hips Don't Lie.

The group, choreographed by teacher Bona Angeles, is composed of 13 students who have been classmates since K-4 and have been performing for three years in various community events on island. Angeles and GMS president Mila Merjilla were joined by students as they accepted the $300 cash prize and a trophy.

Other competing teams were KCC Dance, Marianaz Angelz, and Kidz in Action for the 6 to 11 category; and Passion, Limit Crew, and ACDC for the 12 to 19 category.

McDonald's also held an individual dance showdown. Limit Crew's MJ Quitaneg won a $50 Arch reloadable card for his outstanding moves.

All competitors were evaluated by a panel of judges composed of Niko Plata, L.J. Castro, Minda Castro, and Ulysses Sabuco.

McDonald's also held a raffle for its staff. John Tudela, who has been a crew member for one year and three months, won a Samsung cell phone while accountant Marissa Obtinalla, who has been with the company for 14 years, won a digital camera.

McDonald's Saipan owner and president Joe Ayuyu said Saturday's turnout was very overwhelming. He said all dance crew competitors did a stellar performance and he congratulated all the winners for a job well done.

Ayuyu extended his appreciation to all of McDonald's Saipan's customers, staff, and vendors for making the company successful over the years. “We attribute our success to all of you. We're happy to see everyone join in the celebration. The most important thing is that everyone had fun.”