Friday the 13th Redefined for Union Plus American Dream Sweepstakes Winner
Frank Valone was in shock. The retired Civil Servants Employees Association/ American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (CSEA/AFSCME) member arrived home from a week in the hospital, having been diagnosed with lymphoma. It was Friday, January 13, and he was pondering the fight of his life when he received a call.
“It was Union Plus calling, wondering if I’d checked my email,” he said. “They waited while I did, and when I read I had won, the worst week of my life suddenly took a turn for the good. I felt hopeful, and I was so grateful. I’ll never think of Friday the 13th the same way again.”
Valone’s $30,000 grand prize marked the end of the American Dream Sweepstakes sponsored by the Union Plus Credit Card Program, which celebrated three decades of the Union Plus member benefits program.
Prior to his retirement in 2002, Valone was a 15-year senior plant utilities engineer at the Roswell Park Cancer Center. Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Buffalo, NY, the Center is America’s first facility dedicated to cancer research. Valone savored his role because his team served as the Center’s catalyst, making sure it received the power it needed to operate 24 hours a day.
“The union was a true fraternity,” he said. “They negotiated contracts and provided benefits that I feel were well earned and deserved. We worked hard, giving the facility what it needed to succeed, and the union worked hard for us.”
Valone, a loyal Union Plus Credit Card holder for 25 years, exclusively uses it for his first love — travel.
“My wife, Michele, and I took a cross-country vacation this summer to Oregon and Washington to visit my son using our Union Plus Credit Card,” he said. “We saw Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota along the way, and I hope to get back and see the Crazy Horse Memorial.”
Valone entered the sweepstakes because it gave him a chance to dream, but he never imagined winning.
“It’s been tremendous,” he said. “My wife and I want to use this money to travel more – maybe to Maine or to Pennsylvania to ride steam trains, but it’s also great to know that while I have good insurance, this money could come in handy with my healthcare expenses.”
For Valone, father of four and grandfather of six, health is his sole focus, and he is amid intense treatment for his cancer at the very facility he helped power across his career. His prognosis is good and his sweepstakes win has buoyed him.
“I’ve enjoyed this win very much,” he said. “Even though I have this battle in front me, it gives me some assurance that things are going to be okay.”
Valone’s story caps the Union Plus 30th Anniversary American Dream Sweepstakes.
To read the stories of all the winners, visit UnionPlus.org/Winners.
*Credit approval required. Terms and conditions apply. Union Plus Credit Cards are issued by Capital One, N.A. pursuant to a license by Mastercard International Incorporated.
©2017 Union Privilege. All rights reserved. Union Plus benefits are for participating union members, retirees and their families. Union Privilege, 1100 1st ST NE, Suite 850, Washington, D.C. 20002.