Maryland Philanthropist Wins Lottery

Some people might say Marco Avila proves the benefit of keeping your karma balance on the positive side.

He is the co-founder and executive director of the Healing Hands Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Baltimore County. The group provides surgical, dental and educational services to children throughout the world. Avila also plays the lottery. He bought a Mega Millions ticket Dec. 1 at the White Marsh BP station on Campbell Boulevard. He won the game's "second-tier" prize in Friday's drawing -- $250,000. The married father of two didn’t make any sudden moves. "I was calm. Actually, I was calm but excited at the same time,” he told WBAL-TV. He took his time to digest the news and didn’t even tell his family right away. Although he did ask his daughter, "What would you do if you won the lottery?" Without hesitation, she said she would donate the money to Healing Hands, Maryland Lottery officials said. He picked up his $250,000 check at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore Tuesday. He plans to donate a portion of the winnings to the foundation and use the rest for bills and his kids' educations. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Maryland Lottery officials. “We love having winners that do meaningful, great things with the money, and Marco’s certainly an example of that," Maryland Lottery Communications Director Carole Everett told WBAL. "We're thrilled for him and his foundation.”

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