10 Lottery Winners Who Shared the Wealth
Most of us dream of winning the lottery some day. We automatically think of the nice things we will buy for ourselves – new house, car, etc – and of the relief it will be to finally pay our debts. Many of us also dream of being able to finally help out those people in society who really need our help – whether it is the poor, the elderly, or the sick.
I often wonder if people really do follow through with their intentions of giving to charities once they hit the jackpot. I did some research and have found some very generous lottery winners. They are listed here.
Winner: Sheelah Ryan of Seminole County, Florida
Winnings: $55.16 million in 1988
Donation: Established the Sheelah Ryan Foundation which helps abused woman, gives scholarships to young adults, pays for job training programs and provides Meals on Wheels for the elderly. The foundation gives about $200,000 annually to charities in the Seminole area.
In 1994, Sheelah Ryan died of cancer at the age of 69 but her foundation still lives on.
Winner: Bill and Tina Nguyen of Pierre, South Dakota
Winnings: jackpot was 117 million but opted one lump sum of 39 million in 2006
Donation: $33,000 to local grade school
Donation: $33,000 to a second local grade school
Donation: $32,000 to local Boys and Girls Club
Donation: undisclosed substantial amount to another large undisclosed organization.
Before winning the jackpot, the Nguyen’s owned a local nail salon. They sold it after winning the jackpot and moved away from South Dakota.
Winner: Anonymous schoolteacher from Taiwan
Winnings: Reported as “tens of millions of NT dollars” in 2005
Donation: ALL OF IT went to several cultural and educational programs to help children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The 30 year old single female school teacher occasionally played the lottery for the sole purpose of donating all of her winnings to various charities if she ever won. With a teacher’s salary she was unable to donate much of her money to well deserved charities, so when she did hit the jackpot, she didn’t hesitate to donate every last penny of it.
Winner: Anonymous 23 year old office worker from Taichung, Taiwan
Winnings: NT320 million ($9,864,669 USD) in 2007
Donation: NT25 million ($770,677 USD) to “Light Up the Fire of Life” campaign
Donation: NT1 million ($30,827 USD) to the Children Charity Association
In addition, the generous donor gave NT60,000 ($1,849 USD) to the employee from the lottery stand where he won the ticket. The employee took that money, added an additional NT 40,000 and donated the NT100,000 ($3,082 USD) to the Taichung Family Assistance Centre.
Winner: Vaughn and Jan Sherman from Snohomish County, Washington
Winnings: $8 million USD in 1993
Donation: $8000 annually split between Edmunds Community College (to fund awards for outstanding faculty and staff) and the Dream Foundation which they created to grant college scholarships to Jan’s former students at Martin Luther King Elementary school.
After winning the lottery, both Vaughn and Jan continued to work. They both kept teaching. Vaughn expanded his community-college work to include national advocacy and leadership.
Winner: Chang Tien-you of Taiwan
Winnings: NT100 million (over 3 million USD)
Donation: NT20 million ($616,541 USD) to Creation Social Welfare Foundation
Donation: NT4 milion to various other organizations.
Chang was a volunteer at the Creation Social Welfare Foundation, helping people with very limited means to survive. Hitting the jackpot enabled him to help these people in more ways than he could have ever imagined.
Winner: Janette and Stephen Wright, West Yorkshire, England
Winnings: £1,633,505 (3,224,606.43 USD) in 2007
Donation: Undisclosed amount to Kirkwood Hospice in Huddersfield.
Winner: Alain Maboussou, Quang Dao and Dung Tran in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Winnings: $365 million split between eight people, totaling 45.6 million each in 2006.
Donation: $6000 to People’s City Mission, a homeless shelter in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Donation: Later, Alain Maboussou donated $15,000 to Siena Francis House homeless shelter, by providing 375 people with a $40 Target gift to buy new clothes and other necessities.
Dao and Dung are refugees from Vietnam and Maboussou is an immigrant who left the Republic of Congo to flee civil war. One of the men stayed at the shelter before hitting the jackpot.
Winner: “Yu Sheng” of Taiwan
Winnings: NT100 million (over 3 million USD)
Donation: NT10 million to Syin Lu Welfare Foundation to be used in the “Community Residence and Life Services Project” which was aimed at making life better for the handicapped population.
Yu Sheng’s desire to help the handicapped came from hearing a story about a student who attended a center for the mentally challenged being violently evicted from the community by residents of the area. As a result, the student was no longer able to enter the community to attend school. Yu-sheng empathized with the student. As a handicapped, he knows that handicapped people face all sorts of difficulties. He wanted to do what he could to help.
Winner: Ray and Barbara Wragg from Sheffield, England
Winnings: £7.6 million (just over $15 million USD) in 2000
Donation: £6 million split between several charities. The main beneficiaries were Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield, which specialises in cancer treatment, and Sheffield Children’s Hospital
Donation: In 2003 the couple came to the aid of a group of Second World War veterans whose trip to honor their fallen comrades was in jeopardy after they failed to secure £12,500 in lottery funding. The Wraggs gave 50 veterans enough money to visit Italy in 2004 for the 60th anniversary of the battle of Monte Cassino.
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User Comments
Jared Stenzel
On January 5, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Nice list, it’s good to know that some people are donating some winnings.
Judy Sheldon-Walker
On January 6, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Beautiful, uplifting story. Thank you so much for sharing.
CHAN LEE PENG
On January 6, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Thank you for sharing this story.
Liane Schmidt
On January 13, 2008 at 3:45 pm
When I make my millions I will generously donate to different organizations as well! Wonderful story!
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
Christian
On February 1, 2008 at 12:22 am
Good article,before to read this web site I didn’t believe, but read this article and other through out the internet I till believe. Also if your have a dream and you have a mission to help people and you have the good lucky person do it, help your people is really a good initiative. For Jeniffer you can find info and address if your write the Sheelah Ryan Foundation Inc. in Google, remember the foundation is in Seminole County, Florida. Thank.
Lexi's Mom
On July 10, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Great article, It’s interesting to know if people actually do with their winnings what they said they would do if they “ever” win the big pot of gold!
B.P.Michel
On September 18, 2008 at 8:49 am
Hi there I am a gambler as well I’ve been playing Lottery for 3 years and yet I have not won anything. So can get 30,000. from one of those Lottery winners listed herein Please I am in need of money to solve my problems please make it happen for me .this is my number 809-953-7789..
Ronald G. Smythe
On September 28, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Its good to see Philanthropy still exsists, I personally have started my own foundation its http://www.whitetigerfoundation.org in which we print and self publish childrens coloring books for free for kids in the hospital(s). Check it out and send me your comments.
darius
On October 16, 2008 at 7:53 am
Hi. i am from a poor family, and i realy need money for laptop or pc, because i started studying in university this year. my situation is very poor. please who can send me a dollar or two for my better future. i wont forget this. thanks. my paypal account and email PLODARIUX@ONE.LT thanks for those who supports such people as me. :/
walter jordan
On October 28, 2008 at 11:26 am
i am so glade that you all are sharing your good fortune with people that are not so wealthy, but money can not by happiness.if you can help our family please send what you can we aer disabled and we have 2 childern and are making it not so good,please help… the jordans po box 297, state road, nc 28676. god will bless you. thank you.336-874-2468
Love Love Jesus
On November 21, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Pray! I love Jesus Christ, I don’t always do as I should I know that but I am trying harder to ….. I slip a lot but I still am trying…. Jesus died for our sins before we even sinned! Give him praise do as the bible states and you will reap its benefits! God Bless!! This weeks winning numbers are 5 34 39 47 56 and 33 GOD BLESS YOU!
hfj
On December 10, 2008 at 9:08 am
Nice article. Good to see some positive results from some of the people who find good fortune playing the lottery.
Libris Fidelis of Iowa City
On February 1, 2009 at 10:25 am
As is so often the case, most people of modest means do not know what to do with suddenly a lot of money.
The best bet is not to “donate every penny” of the winnings, since there are taxes to be paid on the winnings, but to figure out the tax amount, and then form a perpetual trust foundation.
Keeping all of your after-taxes winnings in a perpetual trust foundation will ensure that future donations can be made even long after you are no longer alive, according to the laws of the nation and location in which you live.
The trust foundation would be set up to invest the winning sum, and if you qualify your trust foundation as a tax-exempt organization, you can even open your trust foundation to donations coming from other peoople to make the fund grow. The trust fund itself is not used for donations, it is the interest earned on the trust fund that is used for making donations. That way, the trust fund always exists, and is often worth much more than the initial fund itself.
Paul Revere of US Revolutionary War fame established just such a perpetual trust, and it is still earning income from its investments and is still making donations, after being in existence for over two centuries!!!!
latinochristian
On March 17, 2009 at 1:40 pm
i’ve always thought if i ever win i would give x amount of money to creation institute and or to the homeless Jewish and Christian people. But one could get caught up in spending so quickly and never get that chance. So first buy a home, donate and live helping other people!
Lester Perks
On May 5, 2009 at 5:35 am
There are people every were that needs help and i just happen to be one myself. which made me realize if i could only get my hands on 20-50k i would be able to take care of my bills so i could spend a little more time been a father and help others for sure..well my number is 270-547-5115 or 216-269-9857-or 502-937-0499-really need help soon pls..thank you
Ginger Martin MO/PEACE
On May 17, 2009 at 1:27 pm
The story as I remember it is a little convoluted because I was a teenager back then and today I’m in my fifty’s. I have spent the past forty years working to resolve what happened. I know it was winter because there was snow on the ground. My mother, Phyllis was a hard worker; she had been a recently divorced single parent with three children. My brother David follows me by one year and my sister Janice is nine years my junior. I know it was hard for my mom because she was always talking about money, bills and missing child support. Mom was a hard worker who worked at Burien General Hospital in Seattle Washington as Night Director of the swing shift (3pm – midnight). She was a Registered Nurse who had worked her way to the top of her career. I was and am very proud of her accomplishments. Women back in 1969 were often not in positions of management. I used to run home from school just to see her for a half an hour before she rushed off to work. I was greeted with a smile a hug and a list of things to do including house work, a dinner menu and directions on how to prepare it. I was the oldest so mom always said the words “Watch your sister,” and “Keep and eye on your brother.” I remember mom being good spirited telling interesting stories about the hospital and always throwing in words to a song and or a couple of steps to a dance in the middle of a funny joke.
Mom had been divorced roughly five years when she remarried my stepfather John. She seemed very much in love. He brought with him two children both older than me, a son, my stepbrother Johnny, whom I thought was kind of cute and a daughter, my stepsister Kathy, who was out of school, much older than me and I thought was really cool. From all appearances on the outside it seemed as if this blended family was working. I remember slowly, very slowly things started to go wrong.
My stepfather John would drink heavily when he came home from work. He would come home later and later in the evening sometimes very angry if things were not as he expected them to be. Dinner on the table promptly at six, tomato skins peeled in our salads, and there was always something wrong with my brother and sister just being a kid. I remember many incidents that would haunt me late into my thirty’s. My best thinking at the age of fourteen was to distract John from my bother and sister by drinking with him. I thought at the time it would keep John off my siblings and keep the disruption down to a minimum. I thought that it was my responsibility to watch over my brother and sister. It wasn’t until years into my own recovery that I learned I was a child myself then and that it was my parents job to take care of us, not mine. Typically after David, Janice and myself were all in bed asleep I would be woken up around midnight when mom came home from work. I would hear a fight ensue, raised voices, shouting, name calling, stuff in the house being busted and broken.
John would repeatedly call me out to disarm the conflict. I was caught in the middle. Mom would eventually say “This is adult business, go back to bed” as they continued to fight into the night. The arguments were loud and I could hear word for word what the fighting was about. Mom wanted John to come to bed and leave the bottle behind. John wanted mom to leave him alone. He just wanted to drink.
One cold night I heard a knock on my bedroom door and John’s voice asking me to come outside and “Get your mom off me!” I guess I have always been a mediator. I remember that night in particular; getting up, putting on my slippers then my robe and standing just inside my bedroom door thinking. I talked the whole scenario through with myself. Mom was going to turn me around and tell me, “This was none of your business, this was adult business.” So I turned myself around that night; I took off my robe and slippers and went back to bed. That was the night my mother was murdered. She was strangled by the bare hands of my stepfather John. She was choked. She was declared dead on arrival at the very same hospital where she worked. I remember hearing the ambulance come and take her away.
I didn’t want my stepfather John to keep me awake all night telling me how sorry he was. I snuck out the window of my bedroom. I ran to a friends’ house in the snow just to get some sleep. I wanted to go to school the next day, to be a kid and be with my friends. This was a typical night in my house growing up; the fighting, the helplessness the feeling of hyper vigilance. This is a story of a woman, my mother Phyllis and of how her life was taken from her. Cut short of many dreams she had to see her children grow up. She had great friends but told no one of her situation. She was an educated woman who knew what little there was back then about Domestic Violence. Neighbors heard the fighting but no one called the police. There were no Domestic Violence hotlines back then, no Domestic Violence shelters and at the time there were no laws to protect women. Today there is so much more information. There are many ways today that you can be part of the solution and have a voice.
I want to dedicate this Mothers day to all those women who have been victims of Domestic Violence. One in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime. Every three minutes in this country there is a woman who is punched, kicked, hit and or struck by domestic violence. On average, more than three women are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day. Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend to 3 million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year. The health-related cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year. Of that amount, nearly $4.1 billion are for direct medical and mental health care services, and nearly $1.8 billion are for the indirect costs of lost productivity or wages.
I am asking you to take a minute out of your day and forward this story to your family and friends. I am asking you to call somebody and tell someone your story if there is anyone who has or is abusing you. I am asking you to talk with an important person you suspect of being a victim of Domestic Violence and just listen. Stop the chain of continued abuse and silence. I am asking you to volunteer and be part of the solution. Give service to a local nonprofit and or women’s shelter in your area. I am also asking you to donate your time and or money.
I started a business called MO/PEACE dedicated to the memory of my mother Phyllis three years ago. MO/PEACE has a mission to address, prevent and respond to all types of abuse. Contributions pay for the continued education of peaceful solutions to conflict.
To Learn More About MO/PEACE
To Donate To Domestic Violence Prevention And Education
Go To: http://www.iGive.com/MO-PEACE
Ronald G. Smythe
On May 28, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Because of the current economy no donations have even been promised and the ones who did backed out. Even my vice-president quit without notice saying that “because of” and now I have no web site. Goto http://www.microgiving.com/profile/222616/?all=1 for more information. Or contact me at rgjs42@yahoo.com The White Tiger Foundation is still in operation and we self publish Faith’s Cat Coloring Book for kids for FREE that are in the hospital.
Johnnie russ
On July 31, 2009 at 2:10 am
i now this might be the wrong place to ask but im despeate for help im 32 with 2 kids and single i lost my home and car when my son became very ill and was in the hospital i really dont want for much i just dont want to lose my kids they are my life i need a cheap car to get my son to his appointments in knoxville which is 2 and half hours away and so i can get a job and take care of my kids my husband left us for another women he dont even pay child support we are running out of resoures im scared i will have to let them go into child services we have no family im all they got he is 12 and my daughter is 14 there good kids and deserve better i just want to help my self i just need a little helping hand thank you for your time my address is 346 h. heaton rd elizabethton tennessee 37643 if you can help johnnie russ
James
On September 21, 2009 at 10:52 am
My name is James and I am a disabled police officer who has been trying to get a grant to obtain my certification as a mediator through Lakewood College Which costs $ 1400.00 and then obtain my training through the Black Stone Law School which costs another about another $ 1000.00 After which time I plan to help others who are living on low incomes. But no one wants to help me. The government does not offer tuition assistance for these schools so I am looking for help of any kind that can or will help me raise the funds I need to pay for this training. Please let me know. After I receive and complete my training it will be easy for my to get a small business loan to pay for the computer, printer, fax machine and books I will need to start my business so I can help others. Especially disable children. So, please contact me and I will provide the information so the tuition funds can be sent directly to the colleges. Because I am a honest person and I think the ones who maybe willing to donate the money will be more willing to donate if they can send the tuition costs directly to the two schools. Thanks and God Bless. James
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