Illinois Woman Wins $1 Million In Lottery, Immediately Pays It Forward

This is the kind of person that should win the lottery.

Some people really have the gift of being authentically selfless and enjoy helping other people. That seems to be the case for a woman from Aurora.

According to the Illinois Lottery, Antoinette ‘Toni’ Green of Aurora won $1 million off of a scratch-off ticket and immediately began thinking of ways she could help others, like her family and friends, with the money. She was a longtime school bus driver before the pandemic and has since become a Certified Medical Assistant.

She said:

I’ve given away over $100,000 already. When I was blessed with this prize, I knew I was finally in a position to give back, to help my friends and family, and to pay it forward.

The winning ticket was bought at Ruby's Liquor at 1535 Butterfield Road in Aurora. It was a $10 Monopoly 50X scratch-off game.

The owner of Ruby's Liquor says Toni has won some smaller lottery prizes from the store before and claims them as her "lucky store".

Toni said:

The clerk couldn’t believe it and I couldn’t believe it. He said ‘Toni, sign your ticket and go straight home - you won a million dollars!’ I sat in my car in front of Ruby’s in total shock, and then I had an epiphany – I can help others, I can make a difference in somebody’s life with this money.’ I get joy out of seeing other people’s happiness – and wondering how I can help be a part of that. The other day I overheard a young woman who could only afford a gallon of gas, and I paid the clerk to fill up her tank. It’s not about what you can do for yourself, but what you can do for others.

Since they sold the winning ticket, Ruby's Liquor will get a bonus 1% of the prize, or $10,000.