And the Winner is...

For the 3rd consecutive year, NB Liebman partnered with CBS21 in our Houseful of Furniture Giveaway. A family in Central Pennsylvania was chosen to be the recipient of beautiful furniture for their living room, bedroom and dining room!
Over 1000 people nominated themselves or loved ones to win this wonderful prize. The entries were all read and the winner was chosen! Below is the beautiful essay written by Central Dauphin East Senior, Nishan Pressley, about her mother, Heather Pressley.

Charles Liebman with 2011 Houseful of Furniture Winner, Heather Pressley and her daughters

Dear N.B. Liebman Furniture, This nomination is straight from my heart. It's not a made-up sob story; it's the truth. Before September 8th, 2011, my life was like any typical teenager's. It circled around school, movie dates and homework. Even though I lived in a single-parent household with my mom and younger sister, I lived a care-free life. My mom never burdened me with the finances or any other issues she was having, and she never showed it on her face; she was a strong woman. On September 8th, 2011, we lost our home. Not by foreclosure or by choice, but by natural disaster. Everything was washed away in the Great Flood of 2011: materialistic items, along with our hopes and dreams, were gone in a matter of hours. This was the first time I saw my mother truly cry. At first glance I thought that my mother was crying because our house was underwater. Boy was I wrong and naive! My mother's tears showed defeat; an emotion seldom on her face. I can't describe to you the helpless feeling that was present in the pit of my stomach; a feeling of confused and scrambled emotions. This is what my mother worked for; her first house she ever owned - a place where our childhood memories will forever be - washed away, but not forgotten. The Christmas holiday is right around the corner, but this year is different. Usually, our tree would be put up by now, along with our Christmas lights in our front yard. The smell of Christmas incense would be present in the air, and Christmas movies would be on repeat. With the burden of our house being rebuilt, bills for our apartment, my mom's car in the auto shop, and college applications for me; Christmas spirit just hasn't been in the air. Everyday when my mother gets home from work, I can see the stress on her face and the defeat in her body language. If I could give one thing to mom for Christmas, it would be an ounce of optimism. Even though times get hard, we still have each other to lean on, each other to pray with, and each other to love. By winning the Houseful of Furniture contest, I may be able to remind my mother of old times, with our Christmas movies, our Christmas incense, and our Christmas light decorations. We may have lost everything in the flood, but we can't lose our hope. Hope is all we have when everything else is gone. Have a blessed and safe Christmas, and Thank You for listening to my story. Sincerely, Nishan Pressley.

Veronica Rodgers and Bee McQuillin were also chosen as our second and third place winners. These nominees were also victims of the flood of 2011. Each will receive a gift certificate to NB Liebman Furniture to help them get there homes back in order.

We would like to thanks CBS21 and all who took the time to write the beautiful essays that were received. We look forward to next year! We plan to make Christmas 2012 extra special for three more families!

Please see our Facebook page for pictures of the Pressley family while they were in our store picking our their bedroom, living room and dining room!

Until next time,

Charles Liebman, President, NB Liebman Furniture, http://www.nbliebman.com/