A Richmond woman got the surprise of a lifetime during a quick stop at the Mt. Vernon C-Store when she scratched off a $2 Kentucky Humane Society Scratch-off and revealed the game’s $30,000 top prize.
Melanie Fisher regularly plays Kentucky Lottery scratch-offs, often picking tickets that support causes she cares about, lottery officials detailed. Lottery-funded scholarships helped pay for both Fisher’s and her daughter’s education, so the Kentucky Humane Society ticket felt like a natural choice when it launched.
“I scratched it off while talking to my daughter on the phone and just froze,” Fisher said. “I said, ‘I think I just won $30,000.’ I checked it again and again because I couldn’t believe it. I told my daughter, ‘I was like, I have to go! It was crazy.'”
Fisher and her husband drove to the store to confirm the win before heading to Kentucky Lottery headquarters, where she collected $21,750 after taxes, officials said.
Fisher calls the timing of the win “a blessing,” sharing that she has faced significant medical challenges over the past several years. The win gave her a renewed sense of hope.
“It’s been a good week. This win came at the perfect time,” she said.
Fisher plans to use her prize to support her church and other local nonprofits, and she may treat herself to a long-admired designer bag — “but from a consignment shop,” she laughed.
The family’s English Bulldog will also benefit from the windfall.
“We told him we would be able to get his nails done,” Fisher said. “And he will probably get some more toys.”
Mt. Vernon C-Store will receive $300 for selling the winning ticket.
Two top prizes of $30,000 and 35 second-tier prizes of $5,000 remain on the $2 Kentucky Humane Society Scratch-off, which the Kentucky Lottery launched in May. Players can also play the Kentucky Humane Society online and Fast Play games at kylottery.com.
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