Text Message Drawing Wins Vienna Resident, Volunteer Fire Department $1,000

One text message won a Vienna resident $1,000 and won the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department another $1,000 as well.

Lydia Russo, of Vienna, participated in national pizza chain Donatos’ “Summer of Your Life” program, and was chosen as last week’s weekly winner. To enter, she simply texted “Summer” to 88188, and at week’s end her text message was the message chosen from among more than 24,000 texts as the winning entry.

Her prize was not only $1,000, but the chance to donate an additional $1,000 to the charity of her choice. She chose the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, and Donatos will be present at the firehouse on Friday, Aug. 7, at 10 a.m. to present Russo and VVFD with their $1,000 checks.

“The winners kind of forget that they won the money and get caught up in the fun of giving the money to the charities and seeing what it can do,” Donatos spokesman Dave Parsons said of past winners in the contest, which runs through Labor Day weekend.

Donatos also holds a special place in the hearts of Russo and her family. She told Parsons that her mother is on dialysis and that her doctor allows her to have one piece of Donatos pizza per week as a special treat. This connected the family and the restaurant on a deeper level, resulting in Russo entering and ultimately winning the summer-long contest.

The Donatos location in Vienna sits at 126 Branch Road in town.