Dreams and wishes abounded as the Mega Millions jackpot in July continued to grow to $1.3 billion. Oyster Pointer reached out to some of our readers and writers to share their “castles in the air,” their desires if that winning ticket had been theirs.
Beth Moore, of Moore, Candella & Associates, CPAs, says “After taking care of my family and buying my husband a Ferrari, I would form a foundation and see how much money I could give away.”
Others had similar thoughts.
Sharon Martin, senior vice president and private banker with Old Point National Bank says, “I would pay off my family members’ mortgages, save enough to live a comfortable life, then donate the remaining amount to support the less fortunate.”
“I would first give six-digit gifts to my family, to my church, to Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, to Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and to the other hard-working non-profits on the Virginia Peninsula, such as Versability, Habitat for Humanity, etc.” says Karen Joyner, CEO of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. “With any winnings I had left over, I would set up a foundation to give nonprofits grants in future years,” she adds.
Sharyn Fox, associate in the municipal engineering department of AH Environmental says, “Hmmm… if I had won the lottery I would have planned a fabulous family reunion. I would have gifted each of them with a check and a donation in their name to a favorite charity. My favorite charities would receive lots of money as well.
John Kennedy, general manager of Art Newsome, Inc., felt very humble with his response, “If I had won, I would fund my 14-year-old daughter, Olivia’s, wish to convert abandoned hotels into self-reliant homeless shelters.”
Eric Thompson, senior vice president with UBS Financial Services, Inc., says, “If I had the winning ticket, I would use the proceeds to bring about significant change in K-12 public schools and foster a viable trade school track. You can’t change the world but you can change your community.”
On a lighter note, would-be winner Joe Verser, partner in the law firm of Heath, Old & Verser, PLC, says, “I would buy two more Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to stop the squabbling among my three kids over the one that we just bought!
And Kaera Mims, success coach with Abbitt Realty, says, “My hubby bought a ticket (and lost), but I would have talked him into taking me on a cruise around the world where we could think about how to spend the rest. Ha!”
And so, life goes on and we continue to dream. As John Lennon said, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.”
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