Community Corner

Grandmother of 12 Wins $3 Million from Georgia Lottery

Winner Essie May Johnson lives in Monroe.

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Rebecca McCarthy, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

A grandmother of 12 will kick off the holidays with a colossal prize from the Georgia Lottery. Essie Mae Johnson of Monroe won a $3 million top prize playing the instant game 100X The Money – Holiday Edition.

 Johnson, 52, was interested in purchasing a new instant ticket, and she purchased hers at The Market, 238 N. Madison Ave. in Monroe. She scratched it at home where she saw the matching No. 29.

 “I got a big surprise,” Johnson said. “I still can’t believe it.”

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 In addition to her 12 grandchildren, she and her husband, Tommy, have four adult children. 

“I want to purchase a house and take care of the kids,” she shared. “The holidays will be wonderful this year!”

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Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $14.8 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.6 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1.3 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

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