Everyone deserves a family vacation now and then. Not everyone gets to take one. Often, the reasons have more to do with money than with time.

Take, for instance, Joshua Alvarado of San Antonio and his family. For a 15-year old kid, Joshua takes on a mountain of responsibility and never complains. But when he heard that Benchmark Hospitality International was putting on a contest to send three deserving Boys and Girls Club families on vacation, Joshua knew he had to enter.

The contest involved each participant writing an essay about why he or she deserved most to win the five-day getaway. The following is an excerpt of the essay submitted by Joshua that made him among the three winners:

"I have a lot of responsibilities at my house. My grandfather has polio and I help take care of him by going to doctors' appointments with him and helping him in and out of the car. My real dad left when I was one year old and my mom raised all three of us kids, mostly by herself. I do a lot of community service like feeding the homeless, graffiti cleanup and beach cleanup. My family has a lot of strikes against us, but my mom and step dad make us feel as if we are just like any other family. I would like to try and give my family a chance to get away from our day to day life and feel what it is like to be a normal family."

For his essay, Joshua Alvarado and his family will be given an all-expense paid five-night stay at the posh Hotel Contessa including meals and a $100 gasoline gift card plus tickets to Sea World. Joshua and the other two winners were chosen from among several dozen entrants including Madeline Moody who wrote:

"I am the mother of Jamaria, Bruce and Dre'Chan. My current wages at Goodwill pay only monthly bills and do not leave a lot left to provide for my three growing boys as I truly wish I could. My boys get good grades and don't complain when I tell them we can't afford a family vacation. It would be a blessing if you could help make this possible."

The third winner is from Grand Prairie, Texas.

Through its partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Benchmark Hospitality's hotels and resorts is providing up to 30 families nationwide with these complimentary Family Road Trip Vacations.

"We are extremely grateful to Benchmark Hospitality for offering such a wonderful opportunity for our Club members and their families," says Boys & Girls Clubs of America President/CEO Roxanne Spillett. "We know that strong, healthy families are critical to the young people we serve and these complimentary vacations will provide stress-free, fun-filled times for both."