PEMBROKE — Johnathan Register has become accustomed to high-pressure situations during his three years as a Lumberton firefighter.
Register said he was “calm and relaxed” as he made the drive from Lumberton to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Entrepreneurship Incubator on Tuesday evening for the United Way of Robeson County Fair Share finale.
The mood changed once he arrived in Pembroke for the reverse raffle drawing and he was standing among the 30 donors to the fundraising campaign who had a chance to walk away $10,000 richer.
“The closer they got to the end, my heart just kept pounding away,” said Register, who stood quietly as the people surrounding him slowly made their way back to their seats.
Latricia Freeman, executive director of the United Way of Robeson County, walked around the room asking each participant what they planned to do with the money. Most of them said they planned to put their winnings in a college fund for their kids or toward paying off bills.
When the final person was eliminated, Register kept his arms crossed and gave the room a soft smile.
“I was good either way,” he said. “I’m just going to pay off some stuff — an engagement ring, my motorcycle.”
The 27-year-old Bladen County native who lives near St. Pauls is set to marry Jamie Miller in November.
He plans on using some of the money to help pay for the couple’s honeymoon trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said with a big grin.
Each year, United Way asks community members to donate an hour’s pay, a Fair Share, per month for 12 months to support the more than 70 programs the agency provides. Fair Share contributions go to help the United Way of Robeson County reach its $580,000 fundraising goal.
As a firefighter, Register said it’s natural for him to help those in need.
“The biggest thing to me — the reason I got into this thing — was giving back to others,” he said. “That’s what I’m in this business to do. It makes me feel better about myself giving to others that are less fortunate.”
The prize money was provided by Lumberton Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Cadillac, Nissan of Lumberton, and Peterson Toyota-Scion-Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. Executives from the car dealerships were present at the drawing to assist and to receive recognition for their financial support of United Way of Robeson County.
Paul Ivey, Lumberton Fire Department chief, was among those in attendance and was joined by several firefighters. He was happy to see one of his guys walk away the winner.
“It’s awesome,” Ivey said. “(The firefighters) work hard in what they’re doing. A lot of the work they do goes unnoticed. It’s just nice for them to get something back. We’re proud of (Johnathan) because he’s a great employee.”
For information on how to donate to the 2018 campaign or for event details, go to www.unitedwayrobeson.org, call 910-739-4249, or stop by the office at 2512A Fayetteville Road in Lumberton.
