Detroit Native Wins $1 Million Mega Millions Prize from Michigan Lottery

Posted on November 24, 2014 by MI_Lottery
Kennedy Howard won $1 million with this ticket from the Michigan Lottery playing Mega Millions on Oct. 24.

Kennedy Howard won $1 million with this ticket from the Michigan Lottery playing Mega Millions on Oct. 24.

A Detroit native is sure to have a happy Thanksgiving after winning a $1 million Mega Millions prize from the Michigan Lottery.

Kennedy Howard won the big Mega Millions prize on Oct. 24 by matching the first five winning numbers drawn: 02-14-21-28-55. He picked his own numbers for the winner purchased at the 7-Eleven, located at 35872 Utica Road in Macomb County’s Clinton Township. Howard recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim his prize.

“I dropped to my knees and thanked God when I found out I had won,” said Howard. “I haven’t told anyone yet, but my mother will be the first person I tell.”

Howard now resides in Montgomery, Ala., while serving in the Army. He plans to use the big prize to help his mother retire and fix up her home in Detroit. He also plans to pay some bills and then save the remainder of his windfall.

Two $1 million prizes – one from the Mega Millions game and one from the Powerball game – remain unclaimed.

On Aug. 5, a lucky Mega Millions player matched the first five numbers drawn – 25-28-36-45-53 – to win $1 million. The winning ticket was bought at The CVS Pharmacy, located at 727 28th Street Southeast in Grand Rapids. One lucky Powerball player matched the first five numbers drawn on Nov. 5 – 02-11-19-21-42 – to win $1 million. The lucky ticket was bought at Mitch’s Party Store, located at 37504 Michigan Avenue in Wayne.

The lucky Mega Millions and Powerball winners should contact the Michigan Lottery Public Relations Division at (517) 373-1237 to schedule an appointment to collect their big prizes. The prizes must be claimed at the Lottery’s headquarters in Lansing. Tickets for Mega Millions and Powerball are valid for one year from the drawing date.

Each Mega Millions play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, players have the opportunity to add a “Megaplier” that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. Powerball plays may be purchased for $2 each. A “Power Play” option that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times may be added to any Powerball play for only $1. Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot is $52 million. Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot is $80 million.

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Kent County Educator Wins Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery

Posted on November 24, 2014 by MI_Lottery
Audra Kowalski (second from right) poses for a photo with her husband, Ben Kowalski (second from left), principal, Tom Berriman (left) and Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo after accepting her Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.

Audra Kowalski (second from right) poses for a photo with her husband, Ben Kowalski (second from left), principal, Tom Berriman (left) and Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo after accepting her Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.

A Kent County educator known for bringing out the best in each student through individualized instruction and personal attention has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Audra Kowalski, is a fourth-grade teacher at the Byron Center Charter School. The public school academy offers kindergarten through 12th grade at its facility in Byron Center.

The Michigan Lottery recently established the Excellence in Education awards to recognize outstanding public school educators across the state during the school year.

Winners of the weekly award receive a plaque, a $500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school or school district. One of the weekly winners will be selected as the Educator of the Year and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations: WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, and FOX 47 in Lansing. The news segment featuring Kowalski will air Tuesday evening in Grand Rapids and Lansing and Thursday evening in Detroit.

Audra Kowalski (right) talks with Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo prior to accepting her Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.

Audra Kowalski (right) talks with Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo prior to accepting her Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery.

For the Excellence in Education awards program, the Lottery has teamed up with Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo. Izzo met recently with Kowalski at the Breslin Center and presented her with the award.

Kowalski said her favorite parts about being an educator are “building relationships, witnessing the ‘Ah Ha!’ moments when students grasp a new concept, and taking part in students’ curiosity.”

“A career in education has always felt like a calling to me and there was never a question for me of what I would do. I love teaching, learning and working with children,” she said. “Every day, I’m motivated to put forth that extra effort when I look into a sea of curious faces of children excited to learn. My fellow teachers inspire me to be compassionate and determined and also are so supportive.”

Kowalski earned an associate’s degree from Grand Rapids Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University. She has been an educator for four years, teaching fourth-grade at the Byron Center Charter School.

She was nominated for the Excellence in Education award by the mother of two of her former students. The nomination noted that Kowalski “has an amazing ability to individualize instruction for each of her students. Both of my sons went from less confident in school to high self-esteem learners while under her tutelage. Every child in her class feels special just because of how she relates to them.”

Outstanding public school educators may be nominated for an Excellence in Education award at http://bit.ly/ExcellenceInEducation or through the websites of the Lottery’s media partner stations.

Excellence in Education award nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
  • Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
  • Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
  • Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts
  • Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.
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MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB™ Lottery Game Second Chance Entry Deadline Quickly Approaching

Posted on November 21, 2014 by MI_Lottery

Monopoly Millionaires' ClubLess than a week remains for MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB™ Lottery game players to enter the game’s second chance drawing for a chance to compete for $1 million on a TV game show.

The MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB Lottery game second chance drawing will give lucky players a chance to win a five-day, four-night trip for two to Las Vegas and an opportunity to compete for $1 million on a nationally syndicated game show. More than $2.5 million in prize money will be up for grabs in each hour-long show.

Players must enter the web codes from their MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB tickets at http://www.playmmc.com before 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 25 to be eligible for the first drawing on Dec. 2.

The TV game show will be hosted by “Mike and Molly” star Billy Gardell and is scheduled for a February premiere. The show may be viewed in Michigan on the following stations: WKBD (Detroit), WXMI (Grand Rapids), WHTV (Lansing), WSYM (Lansing), WBSF (Flint), WGTU (Traverse City), WJMN (Marquette), and WMKG (Muskegon). Air times will vary; players should check local listings for details.

In addition to giving players a chance to compete for $1 million on a TV game show, each $5 ticket gives players two additional chances to become a millionaire. Each time the Top Prize is won, there will be at least 10 additional $1 million winners. Once the Top Prize amount reaches $25 million, all additional prize money creates more $1 million prizes.

MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB Lottery game drawings take place every Friday at 11:15 p.m. MONOPOLY MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB Lottery game tickets may be purchased at Lottery retailers around the state.

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Mega Millions and Powerball Prize Winners Have One Million Reasons to be Thankful

Posted on November 21, 2014 by MI_Lottery

Money in hands.Three lucky Michigan Lottery players have one million reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving. The big question is: do they know they have won a $1 million prize? Two $1 million Mega Millions prizes and one $1 million Powerball prize are waiting to be claimed.

One of the $1 million prizes has gone unclaimed for more than three months. On Aug. 5, a lucky Mega Millions player matched the first five numbers drawn – 25-28-36-45-53 – to win $1 million. The winning ticket was bought at The CVS Pharmacy, located at 727 28th Street Southeast in Grand Rapids. On Oct. 24, another lucky Mega Millions player also won $1 million after matching the first five numbers drawn: 02-14-21-28-55. That winning ticket was bought at the 7-Eleven located at 35872 Utica Road in Macomb County’s Clinton Township.

A lucky Powerball player also has yet to claim a $1 million prize. On Nov. 5, one lucky ticket matched the first five numbers drawn – 02-11-19-21-42 – to win $1 million. The lucky ticket was bought at Mitch’s Party Store, located at 37504 Michigan Avenue in Wayne.

The lucky Mega Millions and Powerball winners should contact the Michigan Lottery Public Relations Division at (517) 373-1237 to schedule an appointment to collect their big prizes. The prizes must be claimed at the Lottery’s headquarters in Lansing. Tickets for Mega Millions and Powerball are valid for one year from the drawing date.

Each Mega Millions play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, players have the opportunity to add a “Megaplier” that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. Powerball plays may be purchased for $2 each. A “Power Play” option that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times may be added to any Powerball play for only $1. Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is $43 million. Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is $70 million.

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Detroit Woman Wins Cash for Life from Michigan Lottery

Posted on November 17, 2014 by MI_Lottery

Winning Cash for Life ticket.Life just got a little easier for a retiree from Detroit who won $2,000 a week for life playing the Michigan Lottery’s popular Cash for Life instant game.

The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, elected to take her prize as a one-time lump sum payment of more than $2.2 million. She bought her lucky $5 ticket at the CVS Pharmacy, located at 18600 Livernois Avenue in Detroit.

In addition to one remaining top prize of $2,000 a week for life, 490 $1,000 prizes remain on the popular $5 Cash for Life game.

The Cash for Life family of instant games is one of the most popular offered by the Lottery and features tickets ranging in price from $1 to $10. Cash for Life tickets may be purchased at Lottery retailers around the state.

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