LANSING, February 25, 2009 – Debra Kennard of Clawson matched four white balls and the gold Mega ball on February 17 to win $10,000.

Kennard hid the winning ticket in her wallet before cashing it at the Lottery’s Sterling Heights office. The philanthropic woman plans to invest and donate her winnings to charity.

The winning easy-pick ticket was purchased at 12 & Evergreen Clark Inc., 20041 W. 12 Mile Rd., in Southfield.

Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery game in Michigan, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Wagers cost $1 each and tickets may be purchased at nearly 11,000 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

Over 95 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers. In fiscal year 2008, the contribution to schools was $740.7 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $15 billion to education in Michigan.

For additional information, please visit the Lottery’s Web site at https://www.michiganlottery.com.

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