The election poles may be closed until next year, but as for this season, one local family is pulling for votes to make a dream come true. The Romano family of four is the only Indiana family to be one of the top 10 finalists out of thousands for the $15,000 Parenting Magazine Family Road Trip competition.
Their family photo can be seen on Parenting.com or across the front page of the Star Press. Not to mention they can be spotted on campus or in the classroom as Laura Romano is an English doctoral student at Ball State and her husband, Anthony, is the Media Relations manager and video specialist in the Art and Journalism Building.
Laura's reason for entering the contest is based on the encouragement she gets from her husband and two children, Nicholas, 7, and Alexandra, 4.
"When I decided to work towards my Ph.D. I knew it'd be a big commitment but my family showed so much support, and I though that this would be a good lesson for our children. If you have the support that you need, you can achieve anything," Laura said.
As she was flipping through the magazine, she saw an ad for the competition to win the road trip and sent in her entry describing why her family deserves to win. In the entry, Laura wrote about her family's response to the struggle she dealt with when first pursuing her doctorate.
"The following Monday I returned home from class to find my husband, son and daughter holding a sign they had made for me," she wrote. "In bold, bright letters that my son had written, decorated with pictures drawn by my daughter, the sign read: "You can do it, Mom!" Of course, tears came to my eyes ... The Ultimate Family Road Trip would be a wonderful way to thank my husband and children for their steadfast love and confidence."
Anthony was surprised when he read her entry.
"I didn't fully realize the scope of what we did and how important it was to her," he said.
A panel of Parenting Magazine employees selected the finalists, and popular vote of the public via their website picks the winner.
Since they became finalists, Anthony has been busy spreading the word through Facebook and email. He said they have received support from family members, neighbors and co-workers.
The Romano family is close knit and prizes their time spent on the road, they said.
"My sister keeps me company and I like to talk to her; she's my best friend," Nicholas said.
With extended family in Maine, the road trip would give them the perfect opportunity to visit and spend 18 hours in the car together, Laura said.
"We play games, sing and really connect with each other on those trips," she said. "They're such special memories, and the ability to go somewhere new would be such an awesome experience for us to connect and for the kids to be more educated and grow, to literally go in a different direction."
If they win, the destinations will be selected by the magazine depending on sponsorship, but each family member has an idea as to where they would want to travel.
"Route 66 would be great to travel on," Laura said. "There is so much history to learn. Plus, there are a lot of little, hokey stops along the way that would be a lot of fun."
Nicholas is interested in the wildlife. He said he would like to go to Mexico to see armadillos, his favorite animal.
Alexandra seeks out enchantment. She said she wants to go Disney World to see her favorite characters.
Though they remain thousands of votes behind for the competition, they hope people will come to their support as the contest ends Thursday. The family will be notified of their final place in the contest three short days before Christmas.
"If everyone in Ball State votes a least five times, we may have a chance of winning, but we aren't sure of our chances right now," Anthony said. People can vote every five minutes.
The Romano's frequently check the website to see how they and the other families are doing on votes. The website shows pictures of each of the 10 families as well as a paragraph describing why they entered the competition.
"The kids like to see what family is coming in first and second and so on, not just to see who's winning, but they are interested in the stories of the other families as well," Laura said.
Through the warmth of the family, they can see their true prize is already in their hands and isn't a dollar amount.
"I felt like by just being in this competition we have already won, regardless if we actually win the contest," Anthony said. "It's great just to see that our story has impacted others. It's been a great experience for us as a family."
To vote for the Romano family, go to parenting.com/familyroadtrip.
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