With the Powerball jackpot reaching record breaking highs, lottery players are dreaming about winning big. However, it’s not always as easy as it seems.
Many winners fall victim to the so-called lottery curse, squandering their fortune on luxury goods. Here are some Powerball winners who got it right. Learn from their success stories.
Lerynne West
Lerynne West is an Iowa winner who shared a Powerball jackpot that totaled $687.9 million in October 2018. Despite being one of two winners, she did not take the annuitized payment and chose to receive her entire prize as a lump sum.
The mother of three and grandmother of six bought her ticket while out with her sister on the day of the drawing at a Casey’s General Store in Redfield, Iowa. She put her ticket in her purse, but later misplaced it on the floor of her sister’s pickup truck where it rode around for a while.
After hearing that someone from Iowa had won half of the Powerball jackpot, she asked her sister to check the pickup and found the ticket on the floor. West then called the lottery, which confirmed her win and she immediately received a payout of $198.1 million minus taxes. She used some of the money to set up a foundation named for her grandson Callum who died after being born prematurely.
Pearlie Mae Smith
Pearlie Mae Smith, 72, a New Jersey church pastor, credits divine intervention with helping her choose the winning numbers for what was then the sixth-largest 파워볼사이트 jackpot in history. She had seven children at the time of the win, who all joined her in buying the ticket.
After paying off debts, the family established a foundation that doles out grants to grassroots groups seeking to improve lives in their hometown of Trenton. Their priorities include education, neighborhood development and supporting poor families.
Nunnally and Arthur say they are living proof that if you have the right attitude, you can succeed after winning the lottery. They keep their eyes on the prize and follow their beliefs, despite the temptations of money. They firmly believe that “divine intervention” helped them pick the winning numbers and that it is their responsibility to give back. This is their legacy. They’ve been able to help their family, friends and their community.
The Rosenaus
Vernon Rosenau was a man of faith who served the Lord with his entire being. He was a leader with wisdom beyond his years, strengthening the church in the Central African Republic and around the world. His life was an example to all of us that sacrificial service is worth it, and that the eternal weight of glory is far greater than any temporary pain or discomfort that we may suffer on this earth.
Rosenau was also known for his wide-ranging scholarship, including Turbulence in World Politics, which examines the new forces that were shaping world politics beyond the realm of nation states. His work is considered to be “highly original and wide ranging,” according to John Odell, professor of international relations at USC Dornsife.
Cynthia P. Stafford
When it comes to winning the lottery, sometimes it’s just a matter of luck. This is exactly what happened to Cynthia P. Stafford, a California woman who won a massive $112 million jackpot in 2007.
Her life had been turned upside down when she took in her brother’s children and was raising them as a single mother while helping her father out with living costs. Despite the financial pressures, she never gave up on her dreams. She regularly thought about winning the lottery and even dreamed of the exact amount she would win. She wrote the number on a note under her pillow, meditated on it and focused on it.
When she finally won, she chose the lump-sum option and showed up at the lottery office to pick up her prize. She used it to tackle her family’s problems and started her own film production company so she could follow her passion for acting. She also shared some of her fortune with her father and brother.