St. Lucia Paradise vacation winners are The Jepps of Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill residents Vivian and Erik Jepp will soon be enjoying a second honeymoon together in St. Lucia as the winners of a contest that was recently held by The Queens Courier, American Airlines and the St. Lucia Tourism Board.
The couple first met while they were at a club in Manhattan and will soon celebrate their four-year wedding anniversary on June 5. When they got married, they went to St. Lucia for their honeymoon.
Vivian has Lupus and was first diagnosed with it when she was 21 years old and in college. She has had more than one kidney transplant and has also had to go through dialysis in the past. The couple has also dealt with other medical issues together.
Vivian, a New York City school teacher in Astoria at P.S. 122, found out about the contest while looking at the paper and decided to enter it, figuring that they did not have anything to lose by doing so. However, Erik said that he did not expect they would actually be selected as the winning couple.
“Our journey has not been easy, but with the love and support of each other we continue to work for our dreams,” Vivian wrote in the essay they submitted to be considered for the contest.
Through the contest, the Jepps will receive round-trip airfare on American Airlines and a four-night stay at a hotel in St. Lucia.
“American Airlines is delighted to partner with The Queens Courier in presenting this vacation ‘honeymoon’ to Vivian and Erik Jepp of Richmond Hill,” said Ned Raynolds, the Manager of Corporate Communications for American Airlines. “Like The Queens Courier, we are committed to Queens from where we fly to many destinations in the U.S. and abroad.”
The Jepps said that they were excited to find out the night of Monday, May 12 that they had been selected as the winners of the St. Lucia vacation for two contest. Their family was also very excited to hear the news.
“We never won anything before,” Vivian said. “We’re not usually lucky except for finding each other.”
Erik said that the trip to St. Lucia will give he and Vivian a chance to reconnect with one another. Vivian added that they also just need a chance to relax.
“We just need a place to get away,” Vivian said.