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Special Carpooler Shares Her Green Gift with Many!
 

When Jeanette Bender began carpooling to work five years ago, she had no way of knowing the unexpected twists and turns, not to mention the joys and rewards sharing the ride would bring.

In February, Jeanette was named the grand prizewinner in the H-E-B 15,000,000 Mile Commuter Challenge, and won a year's worth of groceries from H-E-B. What has given Jeanette even more pleasure than winning the grand prize is sharing her windfall. She's giving most of it away starting with a thousand dollars to the food pantry in Needville, TX where she lives. She's also planning an ice cream social for her colleagues at Allstate Insurance Company (all 90 of them), hosting a dinner party of surf and turf for her NuRide buddies and giving $500 to a neighbor who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

  Jeanette Bender

Grand Prize winner Jeanette Bender (center) with Erika Dybala from NuRide (left) and Cristina Block from H-E-B (right).
 

 
 

Regarding her generosity, Jeanette says, "I know where I can put a lot of smiles and feed some hungry people."

Linda Soland, one of Jeanette's NuRide buddies and friend for 17 years says, "She's got a huge heart. She's always doing something for someone else. That's just her nature."

"We started carpooling in 2005 when Allstate sent out the email about NuRide and encouraged people to join. The rewards have been great!" says Jeanette, who has worked at Allstate Insurance Company for 21 years.

Not every mile has been full of laughs though. About a year and a half ago, Jeanette learned she had a malignant tumor. Janice Polak says, "We knew she had a doctor's appointment because we coordinate our driving schedules around each other's appointments, etc, but the news was still sudden. We were all there. She told us in carpool that she had cancer."

"They were a big support system, coming by to visit me and calling me on the phone, because I had to take a year off from work while undergoing treatment," Jeanette explained. Jeanette completed cancer treatment in January and says proudly, "I am a cancer survivor." She considers herself, "blessed and lucky."

And Jeanette was ready to start earning rewards again. Jeanette says she's enjoyed "all kinds of neat things, but one of my favorite rewards was a hot-air balloon ride I got for my husband last year." She credits E.J., her husband of nearly 35 years who is a district chief with the Houston Fire Dept, for being an extraordinarily supportive caregiver during her treatment.

 
         

The "H-E-B 15,000,000 Mile Commuter Challenge" took place throughout the greater Houston area and involved thousands of commuters who reduced 15,000,000 miles of driving by carpooling, vanpooling, riding the bus, walking to work, biking to work and telecommuting.

Over 13,000 commuters participated in the event and saved close to $5 million in commuting costs while earning over $340,000 in valuable rewards from H-E-B, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Texas Renaissance Festival, Kolache Factory, Jamba Juice, Theatre Under the Stars, Wings N' More, Pappas Restaurants, Sun & Ski Sports, Chipotle and dozens of other sponsors.

Fourteen lucky commuters also won milestone prizes valued at $1,000 with one super-lucky commuter winning the grand prize of free H-E-B groceries for a year. To see each of the winners select the corresponding milestone prize from the menu on the upper right.

The H-E-B 15,000,000 Mile Commuter Challenge was supported by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Houston Mayor Bill White, the Houston-Galveston Area Council and dozens of local and national sponsors who provided valuable rewards to participating commuters to thank them for doing their part to clear the roads and clean the air for all of us!

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