Emuparadise

As the Powerball jackpot grows to record breaking levels, many people buy tickets hoping to become lottery winners. But what happens to those who actually win?

Some fall victim to the so-called lottery curse and end up broke, miserable and even bankrupt. Others, like Sandra Hayes, who won a $224 million prize in Missouri, manage to avoid the worst of it.

Lerynne West

Lerynne West, a single mother of three daughters and six grandchildren, worked hard all her life to ensure she could provide for her family. She started a small business and eventually bought her first house. After her lottery win, she wanted to keep a low profile and avoid unwanted attention. She chose to live a modest lifestyle and donated some of her winnings to different causes.

When Lerynne West won half of a Powerball jackpot worth $688 million, she knew she had to help others. She has a very family-oriented and selfless personality and decided to establish the Callum Foundation in memory of her late grandson. The foundation will support people in need, especially families with children.

Although her family and friends are happy for her, it didn’t take long before scammers came calling. As a result, she has a security team that monitors her social media to avoid being preyed upon. She also set up an organization to increase awareness of Krabbe disease.

Pearlie Smith

Pearlie Smith won a Powerball prize worth $112 million, and she used the money to pay off debts that would have increased if left unpaid. She also invested some of the money in a film company, which was something she had always dreamed of doing. This is a great example of how prosperous thoughts can help lottery winners.

Neal Wanless, a rancher from Todd County, South Dakota, was struggling to make ends meet in 2009. He was behind on his property taxes and selling scrap metal for extra cash. On a trip to the store, he decided to spend $5 on a Powerball ticket and chose numbers from family members’ birth dates.

The Rosenaus won the Powerball lottery in 2008. Five years later, their granddaughter died from Krabbe disease, a rare and incurable genetic condition that affects 1 in 100,000 newborns. The generous couple established The Legacy of Angels Foundation to increase awareness and raise funds for promising research.

The Rosenaus

Involved with philanthropic endeavors in Miami that give kids sports access, Rosenhaus demonstrates that giving back to those who need it is important. “Our work is to help children who might not have access to football or other sports,” he says.

Incorporating Snowmass Village was a major goal for Rosenau and his buddies, who called themselves the “Snowballers.” In the 1970s, he and two friends rode their motorcycles over the mountains to Crested Butte to learn how to establish a town.

Contains correspondence, telegrams, newspaper and magazine clippings and reprints of articles. Material is arranged in rough reverse chronological order. Correspondents include Herman B. Parker, a 1910 meeting of the Association of Life Insurance Presidnets concerning the importance of preventive medicine to prolonging life and milk pasturization, and research projects such as studies of pellagra and hookworm disease.

Contains letters, telegrams, newspaper and magazine clips, reprints of articles and photographs. Items are arranged in rough reverse chronological order. Some themes overlap with volumes 1 through 4.

Cynthia Stafford

Cynthia Stafford was able to maintain her success as a lottery winner turned entrepreneur after winning the $112 million California jackpot in 2007. She used some of her money to buy a new house and invest in long-term, money-making projects such as her production company.

She also spent time on some small luxuries, like hiring a personal trainer and taking a vacation. But she mainly focused on giving back, donating to the causes she had always supported.

Another great thing that she did was to set up a foundation in her name. It has funded grassroots organizations that work for the community in many ways, including supporting education and neighborhood development.

One of the best things that they did was to create Camp Winnegator, a summer camp that gave kids the opportunity to disengage from video games and connect with nature and real friends. The camp was a huge hit and it ran for ten years!