Heights resident wins $50,000 in state’s vaccine lottery
By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — Majid Al-hacham of Dearborn Heights is one of the latest winners in the MI Shot to Win Sweepstakes $50,000 prize.
The announcement was made during the July 27 drawing announcement on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Facebook page.
Another nine winners from across the state also were announced by Protect Michigan Commission Director Kerry Ebersole Singh, Upper Peninsula native and MTV “Real World” star Norman Korpi and Miss Michigan 2021 Vivian Zhong.
Al-hacham works as a truck driver who was traveling across the country, so his wife, Zina Juboori, shared a video about what the prize means to the family of five.
The couple got vaccinated July 11 at a pharmacy in Detroit.
“We got vaccinated because we want to keep our family and community safe, especially my husband who travels all around the United States so he needed to get his vaccine,” she said. “We registered for the lottery on July 15, which was the last day for people who got their vaccines on July 11. To be honest, we did not expect one of us would win the prize and it was a big, beautiful surprise for us.”
Juboori shared that COVID-19 impacted her family because her cousin died last month at the age of 34 due to the virus.
“I was impacted by this virus, too, when I graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy in 2020 with a master’s degree in civil engineering,” she said. “I couldn’t look for a job at that time because my husband works out of the state and my kids need someone to stay with them because their schools were closed.”
In the video, Juboori encouraged everyone to get their vaccine because it is safe and it will keep them, their family and community safe. The couple plans to buy a new house and pay part of Juboori’s student loans.
“I would like to thank the United States of America for making this vaccine available for everyone,” she said. “Also thank the Michigan Health Department, Meijer and our governor for this opportunity.”
According to a press release from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the aim of the sweepstakes is to increase the state’s vaccination rate by roughly 9 percent — or approximately 667,000 Michiganders — to achieve the statewide goal of 70 percent of residents age 16 and older who are immunized.
As of July 4, 61.9 percent — 5,014,781 Michiganders — age 16 and older have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination, according to MDHHS data.
Under the new sweepstakes, residents age 18 and older who have received at least one dose of vaccine are eligible to register for a combined total of $5 million in cash giveaways.
Vaccinated residents between ages 12 to 17, whose parents enter on their behalf, were able to enter the sweepstakes to win one of nine scholarship prizes, the press release said.
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(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)