From the Heart it Has Come, to the Heart Shall it Go
“The wise man does not lay up his own treasures.
The more he gives to others,
The more he has for his own.”
― Laozi
There’s an age old question of “What would you do if you won the lottery?” For many people, it’s a no brainer. They would probably say the common sense thing and make sure their loved ones are taken care of, they are financially secure and debt free, and they’d probably invest so that they can continue to earn money off of their winnings. It makes sense, of course. You’ll probably have some people that would answer the question by saying they’d go crazy and buy mansions, fast and expensive cars, lavish gifts for friends and family. To be honest, you couldn’t blame these people too. Most of the time the thought of winning the lottery is just a dream. With an incredibly slim chance of winning a huge sum of money, it is fun to think of these fanciful dreams of grandeur; however, for those people who do win the lottery, the question is a very real thing. Yes, there are people who do the sensible thing and then there are people who go wild with their winnings.
Then there is a rare breed. These people win lotteries and keep very little (if any) of the winnings for themselves. What do they do with the money? They pay it forward and do good deeds with the money. Here are just a few stories of winners who are selfless and have done good deeds with their winnings.
5. Anonymous Donor – A Lottery Winner We Proud of
In 2011, an anonymous donor left a lottery ticket in the collection plate of their church. The pastor was astounded to the winning ticket, which was valued at $30,000. The Maryland church had been experiencing some financial difficulties and the winnings from the donated ticket certainly helped the situation there. The pastor has gone on to say, “We have a lot of people in need,” he said. “Hopefully, we can give some back, especially since this is the way we received it.” Another church in Georgia were recipients of a winning lottery ticket that was valued at $80,000, after they were burglarized. Maybe God had a hand in the church’s good fortune?
4. The Best Day of Jim Dancy
Jim Dancy is just a regular guy who won $10,000 in the Michigan Lottery’s Club Keno game. To some, the $10,000 winnings aren’t a large sum of money compared to some of the jackpot winnings; most people would keep the entire sum and use it to pay off bills or put it away for a rainy day. Jim did none of these things. Instead, he donated the entire winnings to the Greater Kalamazoo United Way. When he was asked about why he donated it all, he said: “I feel very good today, knowing I could help a little — probably my ‘best day’ in a long time. When everyone was thanking me, I was thinking how much you all do every day, and thought it should really be the other way around: I should be thanking you. So, thanks for your work,” he said.
3. Les Robins – A God Blessed Teacher
Wisconsin native, Les Robins, was once a junior high school teacher. The teacher created a day camp, Camp Winnegator, after he won a $111 million Powerball Jackpot back in 1993. The camp is over 226 acres and is located near his waterfront home. The camp is equipped with riding stables, a gym, pool, miniature golf course, and a slew of powered water toys. Kinds between the ages 6 and 16 are encouraged to take part in any of the sporting activities the camp offers, or they can just hang out.
2. Colin and Chris Weir – Born to be Wildly Generous
The couple won the highest lotto jackpot in the history of Britain, a whopping 161 million pounds (approximately $251 million USD) in 2011. The couple has been known for their generosity since their incredible winnings. Some of the most notable good deeds they have done include helping 13 year-old Olympic torch carrier, Kieran Maxwell, get a prosthetic leg after he lost it due to cancer. The couple also helped 15 year-old Ross Wilson, a promising tennis star, to go to Barcelona to study at tennis academy. The latest recipient of the Weir’s generosity is Patrick Thistle create a new youth academy. The couple also launched The Weir Charitable Trust, which helps groups and charities across Scotland.
1. Allen and Violet Large – Money is Only a Tool
In 2010, the Canadian couple won a jackpot of $11.2 million. The couple only kept $2,000 of their winnings. The major beneficiaries of the Larges generosity are hospitals located in Truro and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The couple also took care of their families, local fire department, churches, cemeteries, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army. The reason the couple gave away their winnings was because Violet was going through cancer treatments at the time and they didn’t want to be ‘taken advantage of by crooked people.’
“That money that we won was nothing,’ Allen told the Toronto Star. “We have each other.”
