From the left; Cody Aughton, Peyton, Beckham, and Jody Burge, and Josh Collins

Collins Roofing announces Jody Burge of Lincoln winner of “Thank you Logan County Roof Giveaway”

[December 30, 2015]  LINCOLN - In December, Josh and Ashley Collins of Collins Roofing in Atlanta came to Lincoln Daily News with a specific advertising project. They wanted to hold a contest to give away a roof, up to 3,000 square feet in area to a Logan County homeowner. The rules were written up, an ad was designed, and a short article written to explain the contest. Entries were accepted until December 15, then a lucky winner was drawn.

Just before Christmas, the winner was notified as was Lincoln Daily News, and this week on Tuesday, the notification was made official with a visit by Collins Roofing owner Josh Collins, along with Cody Aughton also with Collins Roofing, to the home of Jody Burge and her two sons, Peyton and Beckham.

Jody is a single mom and a homeowner who works to keep everything going along for herself and her two sons. She said on Tuesday that she has been working to fix up some things around her home, and the gift of a new roof was a huge weight off of her shoulders.

However, the fact is, Jody came close to not winning because she came close to not entering the contest. Jody explained that her mother had brought the giveaway to her attention after seeing the ad and reading the story about the Collins'. Mom told Jody to enter the contest, that maybe she would win. At the moment, Jody didn’t give it much thought, but a few days later her mom came to her with a printed copy of the entry form and urged her again to enter the contest.

Jody said she took the entry form but didn’t do anything with it, because, she’s the kind of person who never wins anything. She figured it would be a useless effort. When her mom asked her if she had entered, Jody said she had not because she didn’t have an envelope and a stamp. So, naturally, here came mom with the needed supplies. However, for Jody, it wasn’t that simple. She said something came up that she had to have an envelope and stamp so she used the ones her mom had brought for the entry form. A few more days passed, and her mom asked Jody, had she mailed the entry form? Jody said that she fibbed to her mom and said that, yes, she had.

But, as is the case with all good kids, she felt bad about the deception. When it came time for Jody to sit down and pay some of her bills, there was the entry form, with only a very few days left to enter. She said that she decided to go ahead and mail it in because she felt bad about lying to her mom. Jody said no one could have been more surprised than her when she was notified by Collins that she had won.

The contest included the installation of a new roof up to 3,000 square feet of area. On Tuesday, Josh Collins said that the prize would be sufficient to cover the entire roof of Burge’s home with no additional purchase needed from the homeowner.

Asked how he and wife Ashley came to hold such a contest, Josh Collins explained how the couple feels fortunate for what they have accomplished in the last two years. He said that he saw on social media where a roofing company in another state had done something similar. Josh said that Collins Roofing has had a good last few years, and it is because of the Logan County people who have supported them and their business. The Collins' wanted to do something special to support someone else in the community, and the contest came to mind.

When the couple announced the contest in December, they made the comment that they would like to see the prize go to someone who really needed the help, and with Jody Burge and her two young sons, they certainly got their wish.

For Jody and her children, it ended up being a very Merry Christmas and a great Happy New Year, and of course, throw in there one heartfelt “Thanks, Mom!”

[Nila Smith]