Dallas area family crowned America's busiest family
Editor's Note:
Every once in a while, EC Online will bring you a news item of interest involving a company/manufacturer in the electrical industry. This happens to be one of those items.
We're all busy, but what does it take to be declared America's Busiest Family? The Chancey family of Denton, Texas knows. Their schedule includes getting the two kids in the family to jazz, theater, basketball, baseball, football and soccer practices on time and moving the family to Branson, Missouri every summer for three months to run a camp. That busy schedule helped land the Chancey family of four the title of America's Busiest Family in New York City following a national search conducted by Siemens Cordless.
The Chancey family, Karen and Keith, along with their son Cameron, age 7 and daughter Callie, age 9, was chosen from nearly 200 entrants in the Siemens Cordless Call for America's Busiest Family Contest. They were among three finalist families who received all-expense-paid trips to New York City to compete for the title. After answering questions about their busy family and how they manage to juggle multiple schedules — the winning moment arrived. The Chancey family was crowned "America's Busiest Family" with a shower of confetti and draping of sashes.
"You know you're tired when my husband and I locked ourselves in the bathroom to read the paper," said Karen Chancey in her contest entry. "My husband fell asleep in the bathtub and I fell asleep on the floor. But we love our life, things are great and we enjoy our family and ministering to people."
They beat out the Mills family from Phoenix, Arizona and the Gremel family from Seward, Neb. who were both runners-up.
Luxury Prizes
As America's Busiest Family, the Chanceys receive free bi-monthly housekeeping, a meal prepared by a local chef in their home once a month for a year, a Gigaset 2415 cordless phone system, with three additional handsets, and a one-on-one family consultation with contest judge, family management expert Kathy Peel. The runner-up families each receive a day of luxury, which includes a top-to-bottom house cleaning, local chauffeur service and a meal prepared by a chef in their home. They'll also receive a Gigaset 2415 cordless phone system.
"At Siemens we recognize America's families are incredibly busy and they're looking for ways to help manage their time," said Kristine Ryan Tanzillo, director of marketing for Siemens Communication Devices Digital Products. "The contest was a way for us to bring attention to the fact that the simplest things - like good communication - can be key in helping families run their lives more smoothly. Our Gigaset 2410 and 2415 cordless phone systems encourage better communication with features such as intercom and conference call options, and handsets that can be customized for each family member. We think the finalist families will find it easy and fun to stay connected with their new phone systems."
Contest Background
Busy families were invited to enter Siemens Cordless Call for America's Busiest Family Contest by phoning in a three-minute message describing their busy family, including an outline of a typical day.
Kathy Peel, a family management expert and repeat "Oprah" talk-show guest, served as emcee for the New York event and final contest judge.
"The entries we received proved America's families are busier than ever, and it really was tough to narrow it down to three finalists, and even tougher to choose America's Busiest Family," said Peel. "However, our finalist families stood out from other entries by the quality of the solutions they gave for managing their busy lives, and we think other busy families will benefit from their advice.
Communicating and planning ahead were common themes, including sharing carpools, organizing dedicated family nights and using their voicemail as a tool in coordinating appointments."
Edited by Jerry R. Borland, P.E.
Managing Editor, EC Online
jborland@vertical.net