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Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol Surprises Coral Springs Woman with $10,000 Check

by Guest Contributor April 23, 2021

by Guest Contributor April 23, 2021 44 views

Patricia Kadin opens her door to PCH Prize Patrol, April 23, 2021 {photo by Jen Russon}

By: Jen Russon

The Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol rolled through Coral Springs this week, with a $10,000 check made out to a woman who said she was playing the PCH sweepstakes when they arrived.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! I was literally just playing,” screamed Patricia Kadin, who accepted roses, balloons, and a check from Dave Sayer, Director of the PCH Prize Patrol.

She told Sayer she had been affixing stamps to mail-in entry forms when he knocked on her door.

Kadin was also presented with a bottle of champagne, as both laughed over the incredulity many express, wondering if the sweepstakes are actually a real thing.

“For anyone wondering if they should play, do it,” said Kadin, adding if you don’t have a stamp, you can play Publisher’s Clearing House online.

The Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes is free to enter, with jackpots and prizes reaching as high as $10 million.

Founded in 1953 by Harold Mertz to replace door-to-door magazine subscription sales by a single vendor by offering multiple subscriptions by mail, Publishers Clearing House first introduced its sweepstakes in 1967. A multi-magazine subscription agency and interactive media company, they offer a broad range of products, digital entertainment, and services.

Sayer, who has traveled all over the Sunshine State with the PCH Prize Patrol since 1981, said he had never been to Coral Springs before but came close to the city with “everything under the sun” last fall.

“A lady in Pembroke Pines won a million dollars. This win today is obviously smaller but should still put a big smile on Patricia’s face,” he said of Kadin.

He added the way Prize Patrol works is to keep the winner in the dark until the last possible moment, surprising them at home or work with the tell-tale balloons and enormous checks.

In Kadin’s case, she was at home Friday, not planning to work until later that afternoon as a nurse at an assisted living facility.

The 52-year old grandmother of three immediately called her son, a paramedic, to tell him about the win, as well as a rap at the door of a stunned and admittedly envious next-door neighbor.

“I’m going to pay off a few bills and put down roots on a home of my own. Sure, I wouldn’t have minded a few more zeros, but this makes a beautiful start,” Kadin said of her winnings.

A resident at the Ramblewood East Condos, Kadin, got the attention of a FedEx driver when she shouted out her good news to him and a few others below.

He noticed the balloons and gave Kadin a congratulatory honk and thumbs up. After he’d gone, she told PCH Prize Patrol how she hopes to pay it forward.

“I donate every year to St. Jude, and this year they’re going to get a really nice check from me,” said Kadin.