No place like home
Wichita resident wins opportunity to gather with family for first time in years

Life can be turbulent at times. Just like Dorothy was whisked from her home in Kansas, so was Patricia Mansker, winner of the 2005 Gatherings Sweepstakes from www.gatherings.info. A native of Portland, Ore., she was transferred to Wichita, Kan., a few years ago because of work and hasn’t been able to return.

After the family moved, her husband Rick was diagnosed with cancer, and their life was put on hold. “You never know what can happen,” Mansker said. “Plus, living somewhere without a support network during this time has been hard. A couple of times, family members flew out to help, but we basically had to handle it ourselves.”

Now, thanks to the Gatherings contest and sponsor Modern Woodmen of America, Mansker and her family will soon be on their way home. “I entered this contest nearly every day with the hope of being able to have a nice celebration for our 20^th wedding anniversary,” Mansker said. “Plus, I haven’t seen my family in more than two years. There isn’t a better way to commemorate this milestone than with them.”

Mansker’s name was drawn from nearly 490,000 entries in the Gatherings Sweepstakes to win a preplanned gathering worth up to $5,000.  Now Modern Woodmen and the Gatherings team will supply her with the event planning, location, a catered meal, decorations, personalized gifts, an activity coordinator, and a commemorative photograph of the event.

Given the physical and monetary challenges of a 1,700 mile trip, gathering with family in Oregon wasn’t possible until now. Mansker’s husband is in remission and can withstand a trip home. And although travel expenses aren’t normally included in the Gatherings Sweepstakes prize package, Modern Woodmen representatives made an exception in Mansker’s case.

“Pat’s family circumstances are unique,” said Sharon Snawerdt, public relations coordinator for Modern Woodmen. “Her family has been through so much … a primary goal of this Web site is to bring families together, and the best way to do that for the Manskers includes a trip home to Oregon.”

As a result, Mansker, her husband and 8-year-old son will soon get to spend some much-needed time with their immediate and extended family at the anniversary gathering in Portland.

The Manskers aren’t alone in their desire to spend time with family. Recent research conducted for Modern Woodmen about family relationships showed that 98 percent of Americans said spending time with immediate family is one of the most important parts of their lives.

“Another 86 percent said spending time with extended family like cousins, aunts and uncles is one of the most important parts of their lives,” Snawerdt said.

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