McDonald's workers from SWFL win World Cup tickets with their kids

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — Two Southwest Florida families will experience the World Cup in person after winning a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity through McDonald's.

David Herrera, 17, and Savannah Tanelus, 14, will serve as flag bearers during the pregame ceremony for Brazil versus Scotland at Hard Rock Stadium. Their parents, both McDonald's supervisors in Southwest Florida, were randomly selected through a drawing among eligible employees.

"I was shocked to the least. Yeah, over the world, very excited," David Herrera said.

"Getting to like experience something so cool that not most people are able to do, like just to be able to get the opportunity," Savannah Tanelus said.

Louis Marston, a supervisor at a Fort Myers McDonald's and David's father, couldn't believe the news when he learned his name was pulled from the hat.

"You never think you'll win a contest like this to have a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know, be selected, you know, by my operator, just staying pulled from the hat, and they're like, okay, yeah, you're getting to go to a game this big," Marston said.

David has been playing soccer for a decade. When he told his friends about the trip, they didn't believe him at first.

"I told most of them, and like, they didn't believe me at first. I had to show them some of my stuff that I got, and they were happy for me. Very excited," David Herrera said.

Heather Lane-Tanelus, Savannah's mother and a supervisor at a Naples McDonald's, has been with the company for 25 years.

"I've been with McDonald's for 25 years, and as people will say, you have ketchup in your blood. It is a bigger brand, and it means more than just a small job," Lane-Tanelus said.

Marston hopes the experience teaches an important lesson.

"As long as you work hard, you can achieve any goal you set," Marston said.

Nick Rodriguez, owner and operator of the Naples McDonald's, said the opportunity represents something bigger for employees.

"It's a cool thing to work for McDonald's and be able to part to go this once in a lifetime opportunity to walk out on the field during this huge world stage of the World Cup," Rodriguez said.