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Vol. 10, No. 15, Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Lamont man wins $50 million jackpot!
PHOTO LARRY WONG - EDMONTON JOURNAL
Lamont resident Randall Rush told reporters during a press conference at the Alberta Liquor & Gaming Commission (ALGA) office in St. Albert on Feb. 6 that he was very close to being homeless when he was a young adult. Rush also thanked his friend Darrell for his kindness and compassion. “Darrell took me in after my house burn’t down 12 years ago.” Rush said he will never forget Darrell’s generosity, and the kindess of other friends, and vowed to spend the rest of his life “to feed hungry kids and homeless children”. Courtesy of the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission What started with a routine food run for his cat, "Conway Kitty", turned into a dream come true for Randall Rush of Lamont. Rush discovered he was the winner of the January 16 LOTTO MAX draw, making him a millionaire 50 times over! “I went to the store to get cat food,” he remembered. “While I was there I thought I would check my tickets. I scanned a few and the very last one I checked was the winner.” Rush could hardly contain his excitement as he spoke about how he reacted to the news. “My eyes popped out of my head,” he said. “I think I started hyperventilating. I was screaming; the girl at the till was screaming. It’s a lot of money!” Now that he’s $50 million richer, Rush says he realizes just how important it is for him to stay grounded. This new outlook is shaping the way he plans to
use his winnings. “You know, you can enjoy life, but you can’t take it with you,” he said. “Having his much money is a huge responsibility. If I can benefit something with this money I’m going to.” Rush said he had thought for years that if he ever won the lottery he would put most of his winnings in a trust fund to benefit charities and humanitarian efforts worldwide. Now that he has won, this is exactly what he’s planning to do. The idea of starting a trust fund was inspired by Alfred Nobel, who left the majority of his wealth in trust to create what is now the Nobel Prize. “A lot of people have nothing and I have so much,” he said. “I want the money to do a lot of good even after I am gone.” After setting up this trust fund and assuring it will continue to prosper for years to come, Rush says he will spend some of the money on himself. “I’m a car nut,” he explained. “My mom has always said that before I knew how to read, I knew my cars. I’m going
to get a ‘65 Corvette. There will be a few new cars, let’s just leave it at that!” The winning LOTTO MAX numbers from the January 16 draw were 6, 29, 30, 31, 36, 42, and 45 with 32 as the bonus. Rush bought his winning ticket at Lamont Grocery and matched all seven drawn numbers to win the jackpot.