HOPE Scholar gets birthday wish, wins $10K at Falcons game

Monday, September 14, 2009

ATLANTA – When Chris Greeson blows out the candles on his birthday cake Wednesday, his wish will have already come true. Greeson, a resident of Acworth, won $10,000 during halftime of the Atlanta Falcons game Sunday.

"It was a good birthday present," said Greeson, who is turning 34. "It was awesome."

The halftime event was a celebration of the new Georgia Lottery instant game Atlanta Falcons $500,000 Touchdown. In a "Deal or No Deal"-style giveaway, 100 fans won $100 each, 10 fans won $1,000 each, and Greeson was the lucky fan whose paper briefcase held the winning number for the $10,000 grand prize.

"I just lost it," Greeson said. "The folks in my section were cheering, and the usher came down and hugged me. The excitement was insane."

A married father of two, Greeson said the Georgia Lottery had already changed his life with the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship.

"Without HOPE, I would not have been at a four-year college," said the Kennesaw State University graduate. "It paid for my entire education."

According to Greeson, he and his wife, Angie, will use some of the prize to pay bills and take a cruise.

"The timing of this is unbelievable because my wife is a full-time student plus we have two kids," he said. "It'll be a nice Christmas at our house this year."

Atlanta Falcons $500,000 Touchdown is a $5 instant game loaded with prize packages and cash prizes up to $500,000. Players can enter non-winning game tickets in one of four second chance drawings for a chance to win the following 2010 prizes: a trip for 10 to a Falcons away game on AirTran Airways, a VIP suite experience for 16, or a trip for two to an away game on the Falcons team plane.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned more than $11 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs including Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia's Pre-K Program. More than 1.1 million students have received HOPE, and more than 940,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

For more information, please visit the Media Center on the Georgia Lottery Web site at:
www.galottery.com

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Tandi Reddick
Media Relations Manager

P 404.215.5062
F 404.215.8983
media [at] galottery [dot] org

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