Budweiser Traces Your Family Tree To Roots In Africa
Anheuser-Busch and its flagship brand Budweiser will help one person
win the chance of a lifetime: discovering their family’s origins and
the opportunity to travel to that destination to retrace their family’s
history.
The sweepstakes, "Discover Your History", provides a grand prize that
includes a trip for the winner and three guests to explore their
ancestral background as determined via genetic testing. The journey
includes round-trip air transportation and two double-occupancy hotel
rooms for up to nine nights and a completed family tree. Nine First
Prizes also will be awarded and consist of genetic genealogy testing
and ancestral family tree research. Official sweepstakes rules,
instructions and an online registration form can be obtained at www.budweiser.com.
"One of the most basic human desires is to understand who we are and
how our family is woven into the broader, historic context of
humanity," said Johnny Furr Jr., vice president, Community Affairs and
Supplier Diversity for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "We at Budweiser are proud
to offer a lucky family the chance to embark on this remarkable journey
of discovery. We hope to inspire others to use today’s technology to
learn about their ancestors and region of origin."
Also during February, Budweiser is partnering with nationally
syndicated radio host Michael Baisden to offer an additional 20 genetic
genealogy tests and complete family tree compilations. Listeners may
call in live during "The Michael Baisden Show," a popular afternoon
talk and music program, to answer questions pertaining to black
history. Winners will be selected from listeners providing correct
answers. Visit www.michaelbaisden.com for more details.
In total, 30 families will receive priceless information regarding
their family history. The genetic testing will be done by
AfricanDNA.com LLC, a company founded by Harvard University Professor
Henry Louis Gates Jr. His firm aims to use historians and
anthropologists to explain which of various genetic possibilities –
prompted by DNA traces – is more historically likely. The genealogy
investigation works by matching a customer’s DNA to a database of
samples collected from Africans living today. The large migrations of
African people during the last 3,000 years mean that a contestant’s DNA
might share genetic similarities with somebody living today in Ghana,
Cameroon, Kenya, Angola, Nigeria or Sierra Leone.
The contest entry period is Feb. 1 through 29, 2008. Winners will be
selected among all eligible entries in a random drawing to be held in
March. The Grand Prize winner will be responsible for some expenses,
and travel must be completed by June 30, 2009. The sweepstakes is open
to residents of the United States (void where prohibited) who are at
least 21 years old, and there is no purchase necessary to enter. An
independent judging agency will conduct the drawing and notify winners
by mail.