SNAP
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 —
RALEIGH –Concord resident Tonjue Burleson, a service manager for a
local car dealership, said that she plans to take a beach vacation
after winning $100,000 playing the lottery.
Burleson stopped for gas on the way home from work at Kangaroo Express
on Copperfield Boulevard in Concord. While there, she bought four
Diamond 7’s tickets for $5 each, but didn’t scratch them until she sat
down at home later that night.
“I bought the tickets because they are new and I felt like I had a
better chance to win,” Burleson said. “I scratched them off at the
table and commenced to doing my happy dance. I have been truly blessed.”
Burleson said she plans to use a portion of her winnings, worth
$68,001 after state and federal taxes were withheld, to pay bills.
“I appreciate that North Carolina has a lottery,” Burleson said as she
held her check for the first time. “It’s great that the state can use
this money for the schools. It’s also great to win. I feel wonderful.”
Since the lottery began through June 30, 2011, Cabarrus County
education programs received more than $39.6 million in lottery funds.
By law, those funds pay for teachers’ salaries in grades K-3, school
construction, prekindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, and
college scholarships and financial aid based on need.
To date, the N.C. Education Lottery has raised more than $2.45 billion
for these initiatives statewide.
