Sue Kinn, Stephanie Lehman, Jodi Diller and Marcia Thomas are the December winners in the Bluffton downtown 3/50 Project drawing in the final drawing of the season.
 
They win an assortment of prizes from participating businesses as a result of their entry forms being picked in a random drawing.
 
Bluffton’s 3/50 Project is part of a nationwide effort that carried the tagline: “Save your local economy three stores at a time.”
 
This is Bluffton downtown merchant’s fourth year in sponsoring this promotion, which encourages persons to pick three locally independent businesses, and spend $50 each month between the three.
 
According to their entry forms, here are the three businesses each winner shopped at in December follow:
 
• Kinn shopped at Luke’s, Et Cetera Shop and Greg’s Pharmacy
 • Lehman shopped at Black Lab, Greg’s Pharmacy and Community Market.
 • Diller shopped at Ten Thousand Villages, Spectrum Salon and Greg’s Pharmacy.
 • Thomas shopped at Family Hardware, Spectrum Salon and Greg’s Pharmacy.
 
According to Aphaphanh Nussbaum and Julie Stratton, who have helped create the Bluffton effort: “The idea is to commit $50 each month to locally-owned businesses, which will also help restart the local economy.”
 
“Maybe that means rethinking where you currently invest your money, opting to pick up that birthday card or gift in an independently-owned business instead of a chain store.

"You may find a new favorite restaurant or shop and spending more than $50 a month will even have a greater impact. It’s just that simple,” they said.
 
Previous monthly winners during this year’s campaign were:
October: Elaine Suderman, Karen Kussmaul and Denise Fett.
November: Jeff Carroll, Angie Stokes and Jane Pahl.