A Howard Beach man got $10,000 richer over the weekend.
On Sept. 6, Publishers Clearing House surprised 31-year-old Kern Simmons with the famed “Big Check” at his home in southwestern Queens. The PCH Prize Patrol, who have given winners over $449 million, regaled Simmons with champagne, balloons and roses in celebration of his big win.
According to PCH, a drive-by shooting left Simmons wheelchair-bound since he was 18 years old. The Howard Beach resident said that he loves entering PCH lotto on his phone and plans to keep entering in hopes of winning again.
The soft-spoken Simmons recognized the Prize Patrol immediately and said he enjoyed seeing them appear on “The Price is Right.”
Though Simmons could not think of what he would do with the money on the spot, the 31-year-old said that he “really needed the money and it would be put to good use.”
PCH is a direct marketing company founded in 1953 to replace door-to-door magazine subscription sales with a single vendor offering multiple subscriptions by mail. The company introduced its popular sweepstakes in 1967 to increase subscription sales.
The first prizes ranged from 25 cents to $10 dollars with a one in 10 chance of winning. Today, PCH offers major prizes of at least $10,000 every month and PCH Super Prizes ranging from $1 million to $10 million at least three times a year.
To find out more about PCH and the sweepstakes, visit pch.com.
