Like tens of thousands of people throughout Newmarket and the surrounding area, resident Lily Liu visited Newmarket’s Canada Day celebrations July 1.
After enjoying the festivities, Liu put her name in for the Tim Hortons free coffee for a year contest run in partnership with the Town of Newmarket.
But Liu said she could not believe it when she saw the email that she actually won.
“Our family loves to attend all the events,” Liu said. “I’m very excited and grateful.”
The Town of Newmarket and Tim Hortons celebrated Liu after she won the grand prize July 16. The annual contest has attendees of the municipality’s Canada Day festivities fill out a ballot, with the winner getting 10 Tim Hortons gift cards with a total value of $1,000.
Liu said she hopes to share the win with others.
“I want to share with my family and also my workmates,” she said, adding she works as a dental assistant. “I will buy some drinks and doughnuts to share with them.”
One of Liu’s daughters, Aimee Wu, said the contest is a good opportunity to try new things.
“It’s just a fun little event. A bunch of people come together and they just try their luck,” Wu said.
Franchise owner Jim Alexander said the sponsorship and contest, which has been ongoing for several years, is a good fit.
“It’s great to give back and have a local person and be able to enjoy our coffee, on a daily basis, for the next year,” Alexander said.