Custom dropdown using jquery is being converted to a number in lead email

<script>

var ACT_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Belconnen’, id: ‘Belconnen’},
{name: ‘Canberra City’, id: ‘Canberra City’},
{name: ‘Gungahlin’, id: ‘Gungahlin’},
{name: ‘Tuggeranong’, id: ‘Tuggeranong’},
{name: ‘Woden’, id: ‘Woden’},
{name: ‘Canberra City’, id: ‘Canberra City’},
];
var NSW_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Albury’, id: ‘Albury’},
{name: ‘Beverly Hills’, id: ‘Beverly Hills’},
{name: ‘Blacktown’, id: ‘Blacktown’},
{name: ‘Broadway’, id: ‘Broadway’},
{name: ‘Campbelltown’, id: ‘Campbelltown’},
{name: ‘Castle Hill’, id: ‘Castle Hill’},
{name: ‘Green Square’, id: ‘Green Square’},
{name: ‘Hornsby’, id: ‘Hornsby’},
{name: ‘Liverpool’, id: ‘Liverpool’},
{name: ‘Miranda’, id: ‘Miranda’},
{name: ‘North Rocks’, id: ‘North Rocks’},
{name: ‘Parramatta’, id: ‘Parramatta’},
{name: ‘Penrith’, id: ‘Penrith’},
{name: ‘Rockdale’, id: ‘Rockdale’},
{name: ‘Ryde’, id: ‘Ryde’},
{name: ‘Shellharbour’, id: ‘Shellharbour’},
{name: ‘Wetherill Park’, id: ‘Wetherill Park’},
{name: ‘Woonona’, id: ‘Woonona’},
];
var NT_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Darwin’, id: ‘Darwin’},
];
var QLD_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Browns Plains’, id: ‘Browns Plains’},
{name: ‘Capalaba’, id: ‘Capalaba’},
{name: ‘Carindale’, id: ‘Carindale’},
{name: ‘Chermside’, id: ‘Chermside’},
{name: ‘Darra’, id: ‘Darra’},
{name: ‘Everton Park’, id: ‘Everton Park’},
{name: ‘Loganholme’, id: ‘Loganholme’},
{name: ‘Maroochydore’, id: ‘Maroochydore’},
{name: ‘Morayfield’, id: ‘Morayfield’},
{name: ‘Noosa’, id: ‘Noosa’},
{name: ‘North Lakes’, id: ‘North Lakes’},
{name: ‘Petrie’, id: ‘Petrie’},
{name: ‘Robina’, id: ‘Robina’},
{name: ‘Toowoomba’, id: ‘Toowoomba’},
{name: ‘Underwood’, id: ‘Underwood’},
];
var SA_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Adelaide City’, id: ‘Adelaide City’},
{name: ‘Salisbury’, id: ‘Salisbury’},
{name: ‘St Agnes’, id: ‘St Agnes’},
];
var TAS_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Bellerive’, id: ‘Bellerive’},
{name: ‘Launceston’, id: ‘Launceston’},
];
var VIC_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Ballarat’, id: ‘Ballarat’},
{name: ‘Bendigo’, id: ‘Bendigo’},
{name: ‘Bulleen’, id: ‘Bulleen’},
{name: ‘Cairnlea’, id: ‘Cairnlea’},
{name: ‘Camberwell’, id: ‘Camberwell’},
{name: ‘Carlton’, id: ‘Carlton’},
{name: ‘Cheltenham (Southland)’, id: ‘Cheltenham (Southland)’},
{name: ‘Chirnside Park’, id: ‘Chirnside Park’},
{name: ‘Clayton’, id: ‘Clayton’},
{name: ‘Ferntree Gully’, id: ‘Ferntree Gully’},
{name: ‘Geelong City’, id: ‘Geelong City’},
{name: ‘Melbourne City’, id: ‘Melbourne City’},
{name: ‘Melton’, id: ‘Melton’},
{name: ‘Mitcham’, id: ‘Mitcham’},
{name: ‘Moonee Ponds’, id: ‘Moonee Ponds’},
{name: ‘Mornington’, id: ‘Mornington’},
{name: ‘Narre Warren’, id: ‘Narre Warren’},
{name: ‘Preston’, id: ‘Preston’},
{name: ‘Shepparton’, id: ‘Shepparton’},
{name: ‘St Kilda’, id: ‘St Kilda’},
{name: ‘Sydenham’, id: ‘Sydenham’},
{name: ‘Tullamarine’, id: ‘Tullamarine’},
{name: ‘Waurn Ponds’, id: ‘Waurn Ponds’},
{name: ‘Yarraville’, id: ‘Yarraville’},
];
var WA_OPTIONS = [
{name: ‘Cannington’, id: ‘Cannington’},
{name: ‘Melville’, id: ‘Melville’},
];

$(document).ready(function()
{
var optgroup = “”;

ACT_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});

optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);
var optgroup = "<optgroup label='NSW'>";

NSW_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});
optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);

var optgroup = “”;

NT_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});
optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);

var optgroup = “”;

QLD_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});
optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);

var optgroup = “”;

SA_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});
optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);

var optgroup = “”;

TAS_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});
optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);

var optgroup = “”;

VIC_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});
optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);

var optgroup = “”;

WA_OPTIONS.forEach(function(item, index, arr)
{
    optgroup += "<option value='" + item.id + "'>" + item.name + "</option>"
});
optgroup += "</optgroup>"

$('#select_a_club').append(optgroup);
// for (var i = 0; i < ACT_VAR.length; i++) {
//  // $("<option>".val(ACT_VAR[i]).
// }
// $("<option>").val("Foo").text("Bar").appendTo("#iACT");
// $('#DROPDOWN_SUBURB').append($('<option>', { // Append an option to the other dropdown with the value/text set below.
//          value: 1,
//          text: 'option added here'
//      }));

});