Tess Lojacono of East Aurora, N.Y., has won the public vote in the $100,000 Experienced Dreamers contest – a program launched in the Fall of 2011 to raise awareness of the Pittsburgh region as a great place to live, work, run a business, raise a family and realize your dreams.
The contest invited people from across the country to take a fresh look at Pittsburgh. It encouraged people 45 and over to think about what they'd like to do in the next chapter of their lives and to share their dreams – all for a chance at winning $100,000 to relocate and pursue those dreams in Pittsburgh. After two rounds of judging, five entrants' dreams were presented to the public for an online vote, resulting in Ms. Lojacono's selection as Pittsburgh's choice for the
Experienced Dreamers contest winner.
Ms. Lojacono is the owner of "Fine Arts
Miracles," a self-started business that
primarily teaches fine art to the residents
of assisted living and nursing homes. The
dream she shared in her contest application
is to expand the business, establish a
headquarters in a community that is thriving,
train and employ staff as teachers,
formalize all the classes they've designed,
and create a training package that can be
put into practice by Activity departments at
similar facilities across the country.