Lottery winners who gave their jackpots away

A look at the people who won life-changing sums of money then used it to help others.

Do you dream about scooping millions on the lottery?

If we did most of us would probably give some of it to loved ones, perhaps to charity as well. But what about giving away the lot?

These lottery winners from around the world did just that. 

Rachel Lapierre, Canada – CA$1,000 (US$733/£560) a week for life

Rachel Lapierre was working as a nurse when she won CA$1,000 a week for life on the Canadian lottery in 2013.

Like many other lottery winners, she left her job – but not to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle.

Instead, she started her own charity called Le Book Humanitaire.

The former Miss Quebec previously ran a modeling agency but trained as a nurse after having her family, working for an emergency organization in Quebec, and yearned to help more people in need.

Her charity, which now boasts thousands of volunteers, provides help to the homeless in Quebec, as well as making regular relief trips to India.

Funded by donations, the charity’s administration fees are paid for from Lapierre’s winnings.

"I grew up in a poor environment and saw misery and sadness,” she told the UK’s Mirror newspaper. “I told myself that, if we put it down, if we all made a small gesture, the world would be better.”

Anonymous winner, US – $3 million (£2.3m)

We can’t name the person involved with this story, but it’s one worth sharing nonetheless.

In 2008, an anonymous member of Pastor Bertrand Crabbe’s congregation scooped $3 million (£2.3m) on the New York state lottery and decided to gift the whole lot to his church, the True North Community Church of Port Jefferson.

"At first, I was looking around for television cameras [thinking it was a prank]," Pastor Crabbe told LiveLeak.com.

“But I know the integrity of this person, so I knew they weren't kidding.”

Pastor Crabbe said the person, who had won on a $10 Ba Da Bling scratchcard, told him: "This was why God put the ticket in my hands.”

Indeed, thanks to the donor’s generosity, the independent church was set for a windfall of $102,000 (£78k) a year until 2028 – likely to be topped up through tax refunds due to the church’s non-profit status.

Pastor Crabbe said the first year’s cash would be donated to Love 146, which fights human trafficking, while in subsequent years it would go towards building a new church for the 650-strong congregation and donations to other charities.

Allen and Violet Large, Canada – CA$£11.2 million (US$8.2m/£6.3m)

A Canadian couple who decided to use their money to benefit others, Allen and Violet Large from Nova Scotia scooped CA$£11.2 million (US$8.2m/£6.3m) on the Lotto 6/49 lottery in 2010.

After a week of deliberation they decided to keep 2% of their winnings as an emergency fund and give the rest away to causes including hospitals and their local church. They called the win “a big headache”.

"Why spend money when you already have everything you need?" Violet told the Globe and Mail.

Sadly, Violet, who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer a few months before their win, died in July 2011.

Barbara and Ray Wragg, UK – $9.9 million (£7.6m)

When Barbara and Ray Wragg from Sheffield, England bought their winning ticket in their local supermarket in 2000, Barbara was feeling unwell and planning to ring in sick to her job as a nurse.

She never did work the shift as the couple won $9.9 million (£7.6m) on the UK National Lottery.

But they decided it was too much and gave $7.19 million (£5.5m) of it away to 17 local charities, including $11,770 (£9,000) for a bladder scanner on Barbara’s old hospital ward at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, helping buy an MRI scanner for the Sheffield Children’s Hospital and donating cash to the Weston Park Hospital’s Teenage Cancer Unit.

The couple even sold their council home at a discount to first-time buyers and funded reunion trips for war veterans.

Sadly, Barbara died in 2018 aged 77.

Ray said giving to others was their greatest pleasure.

“It's seeing the change on people's faces, the smile that lights up there – it's like they are opening their Christmas presents," he told the Star newspaper.

Dubbed the ‘nicest lottery winners ever’, their picture even featured in their local museum’s exhibition of local heroes. 

“They are genuinely the most kind-hearted people – you cannot help but warm to them,” a spokesperson for Camelot, the National Lottery operator, told the Star.

“I don't think there are any other lottery winners quite like them.”

Tom Crist, Canada – CA$40 million (US$29.3m/£22.4m)

When Tom Crist got the phone call in 2013 telling him he had won a whopping CA$40 million (US$29.3m/£22.4m) on the Canadian lottery, he was heading off to play golf.

Instead of celebrating with champagne, the then-64-year-old from Calgary hung up the phone and simply continued with his game, wondering what to do with the money.

When Crist later held a press conference to announce he was giving all of the cash away to cancer charities via a trust fund, he hadn’t even told his children of his windfall.

However, the former chief executive of electrical equipment distributor EECOL Electric had lost his wife of 33 years to cancer the same year, aged just 57, and decided the money was better spent helping others battling the disease.

“I’ve been fortunate enough, through my career, 44 years with a company,” he told CBC News.

“I did very well for myself. I’ve done enough that I can look after myself, for my kids, so they can get looked after into the future. I don’t really need that money.”

The majority of the cash went to the Tom Baker Centre in Calgary where his wife Jan was treated. 

Top image: dennizn/Shutterstock