Powerball Winner Donates $1 Million to UT Medical Center
Wednesday November 19th 2014Roy Cockrum, the former Episcopalian monk who snapped up a $259.8 million Powerball jackpot on June 11th of this year, has just donated a portion of his winnings to the UT Medical Center in Knoxville.
Cockrum had undergone heart surgery there four years ago and decided to donate $1 million to honor Dr. Thomas E. Gaines, who he feels saved his life that day. In a statement, Cockrum mentioned that he wouldn’t have lived to buy the winning Powerball ticket if the doctor and his medical staff hadn’t performed the surgery. “These physicians helped hundreds of people heal and enable them to go on to do great things in life”, he said. The money will be used to fund support for patients as well as vital research that will advance treatment of heart and lung diseases.
The largest prize winner in Tennessee Lottery history has also donated money to Second Harvest, a food bank that supports the most vulnerable residents of the Volunteer State. When he came forward to claim his lump-sum prize worth $115 million, Cockrum promised to give much of the money to charity and performing arts foundations.
Powerball returns tonight with a top prize of $60 million (estimated cash value $37.3 million). To learn more about this great interstate lottery game, visit the Powerball page.
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