WHITE CITY, Ore., Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- An Oregon man received the shock of a lifetime today when he was surprised by America's most welcome drop-in guests.
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Mr. John Wyllie of White City, Oregon, was paid a surprise visit Friday by the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol who named him the winner of the company's first-ever "Forever Prize" winner. Mr. Wyllie will receive $5,000 a week for the rest of his life, then after that, someone he chooses will receive $5,000 a week for his or her life.
Mr. Wyllie, 47, learned on Wednesday that he had won a $1,000 prize in the sweepstakes and was on a "short list" to win "the big one." But he was unprepared for the Prize Patrol's arrival -- with a giant prize certificate and bouquets of roses and balloons. The unannounced, videotaped surprise notification of the winner is a Publishers Clearing House tradition. His name was also televised nationally in a commercial seen on Friday's NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, and his "winning moment" was immediately featured at facebook.com/pchand AOL.com.
Mr. Wyllie, a father of five children, works at a book-binding company, and said his first purchase would likely be a new car and a house for his father.
Mr. Wyllie is the 64th Publishers Clearing House winner of one million dollars or more, joining a roster of other SuperPrize winners including Tari Woods of Colorado, Jason Clark of Arkansas, LeRoy Faulks of New Jersey and Larry Brown of Illinois. This SuperPrize brings the total awarded in the company's sweepstakes to well over $245 million -- in major prizes alone.
"No matter how many winners we surprise or how much money we give away, it's a thrill for us every single time," said Dave Sayer - who heads the Prize Patrol and who has presented virtually every major Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes prize since 1981.
For those who didn't have Mr. Wyllie's luck this time around, there are always more opportunities to win. The company faithfully awards prizes worth millions of dollars annually. Consumers can enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes by responding to company mailings or by visiting the company's website: www.pch.com.
Publishers Clearing House, a direct marketer of magazine subscriptions and merchandise, was founded in Port Washington, NY in 1953. Its name has become synonymous with the sweepstakes and prizes it has used since 1967 to draw attention to the "unbeatable" deals and values offered in its colorful mailings. Nearly half of the Publishers Clearing House profits are donated to charitable causes ranging from social services to the environment. For more information, visit www.pch.com.
SOURCE Publishers Clearing House
