Laura Newton has never met Ed McMahon. Someone somewhere may already be a winner in the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, but it’s not her.

Laura Newton, an associate professor of Nutrition Sciences, submitted the winning slogan in the Benevolent Fund contest.

“Maybe a drawing or a raffle, but never anything where I’ve entered something,” she says. “I certainly haven’t won any singing or talent contests.”

But Newton is a contest winner now, submitting the winning entry for the new Benevolent Fund campaign slogan. Her submission, “Give Help, Give Hope,” was selected the winner among 230 other entries.

“I saw the contest in The eReporter, and the slogan just came to me,” she says. “It just popped into my head, and I sent it in an e-mail.”

David Precise, program manager for the Benevolent Fund, created a spreadsheet with the entries to submit to the Benevolent Fund’s executive board and asked them to rank their top five slogans.

“Laura’s was listed No. 1 by six or seven of the board members, and her slogan was mentioned in almost every board member’s top five,” Precise says. “We thought we were going to have to sit down and discuss it, but it was an easy decision.”

Newton, who won a new 8GB silver iPod Nano for submitting the winning entry, is a Benevolent Fund contributor. She donates one hour of pay to the fund each month.

She says it’s important to her that the money she gives goes to help co-workers and those in the community.

“I like doing something that helps people locally,” she says. “There are so many very large charitable organizations that certainly are worthwhile, but the Benevolent Fund helps the people you work with. You don’t know who you’re assisting, but you’re helping the people of the UAB and Birmingham community on a daily basis.”

Precise says “Give Help, Give Hope” puts into words what the Benevolent Fund does for the community and echoes the worries of many during these difficult economic times. He believes that is one reason why the entry stood above the others.

Newton admits to thinking about that as well.

“I think with the economy like it is, giving help and giving hope is important,” Newton says. “Giving people some assistance gives them hope that things are going to get better and gives them faith in the good will of others.”

For more information on the Benevolent Fund or to learn more on how to contribute, visit www.uab.edu/benfund online, call 934-1581 or e-mail Precise at dprecise@uab.edu.