It’s 8:00 p.m. on a Friday in Palm Bay, Florida. Roberto Vallejo is just finally relaxing for a minute after a long day at the manufacturing company where he works. Maybe he has kicked off his shoes; maybe he’s thinking about his weekend plans; or maybe he has even turned on the T.V. and is watching some George Lopez. I don’t know, we didn’t get into all of that.
So anyway, at 8:00 p.m. the phone rings and within about thirty seconds of answering, Roberto knows that his weekend plans are shaping up to be a little bit different.
“Congratulations, Roberto!” A voice says from the other end of the line. “You’re going to George Lopez’s Celebrity Golf Tournament!”
Roberto and George at the tournament
About a week before, Roberto had been contacted by the people at Mango telling him that he was the runner-up in the latest sweepstakes. The stakes were high: the winner would receive exclusive access to George Lopez’s 5th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic in L.A., a photo with George Lopez, hotel accommodations, and airfare for two. Roberto had heard about the contest on George Lopez’s Facebook Wall and immediately signed up, entered the contest, and loaded $50 into his Mango Savings account. He never thought anything would happen, so to even hear that he was the runner-up was shocking.
Roberto and Patricia in front of of George Lopez' Golf Cart.
“I thought he was joking,” Vallejo says of this initial phone call. They told him it was no joke and congratulated him on being the runner up. And then the week went on. Vallejo, 23, continued to go to work and go to class as usual (he’s studying accounting at the University of Central Florida) and that initial phone call was beginning to seem like nothing so much as a dream.
But then cut to Friday, May 4th, 8:00 p.m.—just three days before the golf tournament is set to begin.
Flying in style to L.A.
“Are you serious?” Roberto has to make sure this is for real before he starts frantically making plans. Cristián, Marketing Director of Mango, assures him that he’s quite serious. As fate would have it, the original winner of the contest has had a last-minute change of plans and can no longer make it, so Roberto is now the winner of the sweepstakes. His flight will leave on Sunday from Fort Lauderdale.
Roberto hangs up the phone, smiling hugely, and calls his girlfriend, Patricia, to tell her they’re going on a little trip to L.A. to rub elbows with some major celebrities. She seems all right with that.
Roberto receives a Mango Card loaded with $500 as part of his prize
The celebrity weekend starts early: Gerardo Ortiz on their flight to L.A.
After some quick packing, some quick celebrating, receiving their $500 Mango Card, and one long drive to Fort Lauderdale, Roberto and his girlfriend, Patricia are at the airport and ready for their luxurious weekend to begin. And it seems to start before they’re even in L.A.! The two hop on board the lux Virgin America jet, and even run into Mexican singer extraordinaire, Gerardo Ortiz at their stopover in Phoenix. It turns out the musician is on board their flight to L.A.; Roberto and Patricia are getting chummy with the celebs before the tournament even begins.
Since the tournament won’t start until the next day, Roberto and Patricia have plenty of time to explore the area. They walk to Universal Studios, to the beach, they check out the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Roberto even stops by the Oval Office (at the wax museum, of course.)
Roberto at the wax museum.
By the time the tournament starts on Monday, the two have explored and rested. Now it’s time to for the real red carpet treatment. Seriously: the two walk the red carpet and snap photos with the likes of Eva Longoria, Bruce Jenner, Alfonso Ribeiro, and of course, the man of the day himself, George Lopez.
“They were all so nice,” Roberto says of the people at the tournament. At the end of the day, Roberto and Patricia return to the Hilton, laden with celebrity goodies in their gift bag, a few new friends out in L.A., and, of course, their Mango Card (no they hadn’t spent the entire $500 yet—give them a little credit!)
Roberto with the talented Eva Longoria at the tournament
Today, friends and family are showing their excitement for Roberto, from commenting on his pictures from L.A., to getting on board with Mango themselves.
“I never thought a bank would do something like this,” Roberto says. “I never thought this would happen.”
But the thing about Mango is, it isn’t just some big bank. Mango is all about bringing a service that everyone needs to those people who can’t afford it, or who are simply tired of big banks and their big fees. It’s about educating the masses on financial literacy and money management and doing so with today’s high-tech tools and all types of media channels. It’s about taking care of each customer individually. And it’s even about making dreams come true. No, Mango is not your traditional bank.
Just another day out on the golf course
With the lowest fees in the industry, and a 6.00% APY† for direct deposit customers, and even a 2.00% APY† for non direct deposit cardholders, everyone should get a Mango card today. As George Lopez himself says, it’s the card that makes a difference in peoples’ lives; it’s the card that helps you to realize your goals; and as we like to say, it’s the card that can make dreams come true, no matter who you are or where you are from.
Just ask Roberto Vallejo.
What does your dream Mango sweepstakes look like?
Sources: PRNewsWire.com
