MILLERSBURG, Ohio — A woman in Millersburg, Ohio, has something wonderful to celebrate – she won $5 million in a top prize drawing.
According to a press release from the Ohio Lottery, Brenda Simpson won the jackpot in the Fabulous Fortune Top Prize Drawing — a $20 Ohio Lottery scratch-off.
Simpson can choose the payment of $250,000 a year for 20 years or she can take a lump sum cash payment of $2.5 million before taxes.
The Ohio Lottery said Simpson, who is a Head Start teacher, can’t believe she won. “I told the people I work with and they asked if I was coming to work tomorrow. I still plan to work, but I told my husband he can retire,” she said.
Head Start is a federal program that works with children under 5 from low-income families, helping them prepare for school by developing cognitively, socially and emotionally.
The woman said she will pay off her home with the winnings and may even buy a house for her daughter.
Simpson’s journey to hitting the jackpot began in 2016 when she found three TPD symbols on the ticket she bought from Rodhe IGA on Glen Drive in Millersburg. She won $5,500 and an entry into the Top Prize Drawing.
The drawing was held in August; Simpson was presented with an oversized check on Thursday in front of the IGA.
The store receives a $10,000 bonus for selling that ticket, the lottery said.
