By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com
Melissa Petrosky never thought a simple stop at Sheetz would result in meeting one of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it happened for the Bethel Park, Pa. native when she was the winner of the "Win Lunch with James Farrior" contest.
Petrosky and a guest were at the Steelers UPMC Sports Performance Complex this week, receiving a guided tour from Farrior and having lunch with the linebacker.
"This is incredible," said Petrosky, as she stood in the Steelers team meeting room. "I went to the cemetery where my dad is buried to visit and on my way back went to Sheetz and saw the sign on and decided to enter. When I got the phone call I thought it was someone joking with me. It's incredible.
"To see the trophies is phenomenal. And James, he is such a terrific guy. It's been just incredible."
The contest was held at Sheetz stores in Pennsylvania and West Virginia from Nov. 16 – Dec. 27, 2008. During that time Sheetz donated 10 cents for every specialty made to order Sheetz Bros. Coffeez™ purchase to the Special Olympics in both states.
Farrior is a strong supporter of Special Olympics, making it easy for him to get involved and he had a fun time showing Petrosky around and give her an insider's look at the facility.
"Any time I can help those guys out and do something nice for them I am always available to do my part," said Farrior. "Plus, it's nice when you have good people in here and you can show them around and share a little bit of our lives, what we go through each day and how we operate our business."
Sheetz presented Special Olympics with two checks, one for $3,075.40 representing funds raised in West Virginia and one for $33,160.60 from Pennsylvania locations.
"For us it's a fabulous opportunity to see a professional athlete engage with our athletes who train and compete year round," said Matt Aaron, President, Special Olympics, Pennsylvania. "It's really special for us to see someone of James' caliber recognize that our athletes are out there making a difference too. The fact that Special Olympics and the Steelers were able to team up for this promotion was a wonderful opportunity for both of our organizations."
