I WAS AN OSCAR MAYER WIENER….ER, WINNER!

As the first Oscar Mayer "I Wish" winner, I was able to take my NY Cares kid's literacy group, from Regent Family Residence, book shopping in a big way.

On the day of the event, we got the fifteen Regent kids organized upstairs and into their Oscar Mayer T-shirts. They came downstairs to find two Wienermobiles, camera crews, and Hotdoggers-the Oscar Mayer drivers/representatives.

Samantha, truly our most helpful kid, organized them all into two versions of "I Wish I Were an Oscar Mayer Wiener," one traditional, one a rap version. Half the kids got into the Wienermobiles to ride to the bookstore, while the rest climbed into a very deluxe bus (they switched on the way back). Cameras were still rolling…

And rolling. Seriously, the cameras never stopped. And the kids were hamming it up like crazy. That's Rashawn and Jeffrey on the left, and Khadeejah, Chabeli, and Xiomara on the right.

And more photo ops. Please note several vital NY Cares employees in the background, doing the actual work while I get my photo taken.

Those armfuls of books I'm holding are about 1/10th of the $800 I personally spent, buying every kid's book I've ever loved, for the Regent library. The Regent reps had another $1000 to spend on the library. And the kids each had $75-they bought one book for the library, inscribed with their name, and spent the rest on themselves. They were remarkably thoughtful in the books they selected for the library, and most used some of their own funds to also buy gifts for parents or siblings.

The NY Cares staff was amazing in helping the kids to choose just the right books, puzzles, and games. The extra $2000 in gift certificates will go to other NY Cares projects, to buy books for the many other Read to Me and Bedtime Stories programs.

Hanging out in the Wienermobile.

This is Barbara from NY Cares. She did 90% of the work to make this project possible. (Brigid, representing Oscar Mayer, did the other 10%.)

Bill and I…happy anniversary to us!

The next morning was the big Oscar Mayer "I Wish" launch and christening in Union Square Park.

First I had to record soundbites…all different versions of the same few statements about how happy and excited I was.

My aunt Diane, along with Barbara, kept me company through the very long, hot, sorta scary morning. I met with Teresa Strasser of Good Day Live, and she decided I was literate enough to do a brief…very brief…live broadcast.

But first I had to go onstage to be announced as the winner and to make a brief thank-you speech.

I was whisked away to a Wienermobile, which was christened with confetti bottles of ketchup and mustard.

We drove away…it looks cool, but I'm standing on a milk crate with a Hotdogger holding me up by the legs.

My 6 seconds on Good Day Live.

And my souvenir of the day--a giant stuffed Wienermobile!