ATLANTA – A Waynesboro food service worker caught a lucky break when she won a $1 million top prize playing $300 Million Gold Rush, a Georgia Lottery instant game.
Daisy Mae Atwell purchased the winning ticket at Bi-Rite, 5258 Mike Padgett Highway, Hephzibah.
She waited until she got home to scratch the ticket. She first told her 27-year-old son, who was home with her.
"Everything became foggy," the mother of five said. "Winning $1 million is just unbelievable."
Atwell also has three young grandchildren, who she hopes will participate in the lottery-funded prekindergarten program.
She has not yet decided what to do with her winnings.
"When it's meant for you, it will happen," she said. "I just want it to sink in."
Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $8.6 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 Prekindergarten Program. More than 900,000 students have received HOPE Scholarships, and more than 700,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.
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