Day 1: Going Away Giveaways

Two and a half years ago, I was a senior at The University of Alabama without the slightest clue as to what I wanted to do with my life. I was explaining this to one of my mentors one day and after talking for a little while, he encouraged me to look into Chick-fil-A. I did.

About 6 months later after resumes, applications and interviews, I was called with news telling me that I had been selected as a Marketing Intern for Summer 2007. I was elated. One month later I graduated and a week after that I packed my things and moved to Atlanta.

When I made the move, I didn't really know what to think, I only knew that I would be working as an intern for the next 10 weeks. I was not guaranteed a job after the internship was over. In fact, I told the kind lady in HR that interviewed me I wasn't really interested in working there past the summer. I was planning on moving back at the end of the 10 weeks and was hoping that my experience as an intern at Chick-fil-A would help to set me apart from other recent graduates applying for a job.

About two weeks later I realized that I had lied to the kind lady in HR. I was really enjoying what I was doing. The company was incredible. The people that I got to work for and with were top notch. And somehow, this small town girl was really enjoying Atlanta. An answer to prayer came about a month later when they offered me a job so that I could stay there after the internship. It was a blessing beyond blessings.

It was because of Chick-fil-A that I started attending Buckhead Church. It was because of Chick-fil-A that I was connected with so many wonderful families to baby-sit and nanny for. It was because of Chick-fil-A that I have some of the best friends in the entire world. It was because of Chick-fil-A that I look at customer service in a whole new way.

When I left that job about 6 months ago, it was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. I loved what I was doing. Loved the company. Loved the people. In a company full of smart and busy people, more than a small handful had taken time out to develop me, invest in me, encourage me and guide me. In fact, even though I'm no longer an employee, they still do those things and it blows me away each time.

As I stand just days away from making a move to Birmingham. Just days away from the opportunity to mentor and do life with teens and college aged women, I am certain none of it would have happened if Chick-fil-A wouldn't have taken a chance on a girl from The University of Alabama. I would have never had the confidence.

Most of you know what it feels like to be a customer of Chick-fil-A, but I can tell you that having the opportunity to be an employee of the company will be something that I thank the Lord for for the rest of my life.

For those and many more reasons, my first Going Away Giveaway is a Chick-fil-A gift card. Not just any gift card...this one is loaded with $20.

Here's what you need to do to be eligible to win the Chick-fil-A gift card:

Leave me a comment telling me your FAVORITE thing about Chick-fil-A. If you comment anonymously, make sure you include your name and how I can contact you.

If you want to increase your chances, you can do either or both of the following.

• Become a follower of my blog and leave me another comment telling me that you became a follower. If you're already a follower, just leave me a comment telling me that you already are a follower.


• Tweet about this giveaway and leave the URL for the tweet in a different comment.

Get to commenting. The contest will end tomorrow, JULY 28, at NOON EST. The winner will be chosen using random.org's random number generator.