A longtime preschool teacher from Charlotte, North Carolina got the surprise of a lifetime on Christmas Eve after a difficult few months.
Like many people in 2020, Joe Camp lost his job in September and had to find work elsewhere, according a press release from NC Lottery. His year got even harder after he suffered the loss of his father.
“I just recently got employed at a car dealership auto sales center,” he said. “I was a teacher for 20 years, a preschool teacher, and I got laid off on September 6. A month after that, my dad passed away. And it put me in a dark place.”
The former teacher worked to keep a positive outlook on life.
“I have a lot of friends and family that just told me to keep sticking in there, keep believing in myself," he said.
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Camp’s entire life was turned upside down when he received the greatest Christmas gift imaginable. On Christmas Eve, he was shocked when he bought a winning lottery ticket from his local gas station worth $250,000.
“Thursday morning, I went to the store and bought a scratch-off ticket like I usually do,” Camp said during a press release from NC Lottery. “And I bought two tickets. I didn’t win on the first one, so I tried the second and I scratched it off, and I fell to my knees at the gas pump.”
After required federal and state tax withholdings, Camp took home $176,876. He plans to use his winnings to help support his family and grandchildren.
"What I plan on doing with my winnings is having a future for my daughter,” he said.
“I want to get a home because I want to set it up for my family, my grandkids,” Camp added. “I want to have something for us. I never had anything, no one passed anything down, and that’s what I want to do.”
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