Who needs a four-leaf clover or a rabbit’s foot when you have Canada’s luckiest baby?
Airdrie couple and recent first-time parents Melia Campos and Dennis Aseh were the excited winners of the Parent Life Network’s annual “Canada’s Luckiest Baby” contest last month, taking home a $50,000 prize package.
The engaged couple recently had their first daughter – Zara – on Oct. 11, 2021.
“She’s five months tomorrow,” said Campos, during a photo op at the Airdrie Sobeys with baby Zara on March 10. “She was born on Thanksgiving Day.”
Campos said she entered the Canada’s Luckiest Baby contest after learning about it via social media. She said she entered it on a whim, and found out her family was the grand-prize winner on Feb. 18.
“It was so overwhelming,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it at all, so it was a surreal feeling to know we were going to get all this help.”
The $50,000 prize package includes an assortment of gifts, including a $7,500 gift card to Sobeys, a $20,000 RESP for Zara, free diapers and wipes for a year from Huggies, a $2,000 shopping spree at Unilever, and an assortment of toys from Fisher-Price, among other prizes.
“It just means the world to us, especially the RESP,” Campos said. “I’m a teacher and [Dennis] is an engineer, so we value education so much. The most meaningful prize is knowing she has that head start for her future.”
Aseh added the Sobeys gift card the couple received will also provide plenty of peace of mind, considering inflation and the rising cost of groceries.
“$7,500 worth of groceries will go a long way and save us a lot of financial hassle,” he said. “It’s really appreciated and we’re excited.”
Aseh and Campos met over social media during the early days of the pandemic, according to a video about their contest win on the Parent Life Network's website.
They are relatively new to Airdrie, having moved to the city in May 2021. Prior to that, they were living in a one-bedroom apartment in Calgary, but knew they would have to relocate after finding out that Campos was pregnant last February.
Their house-hunt led Campos to Airdrie, where she found a home that suited the young family in the southwest neighbourhood of Windsong.
“I was working up north, so wasn’t able to go around searching for houses, but I trusted her judgment,” Aseh said. “We moved to Airdrie, which is actually a perfect community for raising a family. We don’t regret the decision.”
Even though baby Zara is still just five months old, Campos said the newborn is already starting to make cooing noises, and has established a good sleep cycle.
“She only wakes up once a night,” she said. “She’s starting to talk now too, so is doing good.
“We’re pretty lucky.”
