Garden Grove Resident Celebrates 50th Anniversary With $100,000 Debra Jo Rupp Presents "Hero In Education" Award

09.25.1999
Garden Grove Resident Celebrates 50th Anniversary With $100,000 Debra Jo Rupp Presents "Hero In Education" Award

SACRAMENTO -- The new California Lottery's "Big Spin® 2000" show airs Saturday September 25, 1999 in twelve television markets statewide. Contestants on this week's show won a total of $272,500.

With her desire to help children achieve excellence, Vonya Genoud, a teacher at Almond Tree Middle School, volunteers her free time researching students needs and designing programs to address them. One of these programs is the "Peer Mediation Program," which teaches students to help other students. They are trained to resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner, ultimately reducing the violence at school. Genoud is also co-founder of the "Student Success Coalition" at Almond Tree Middle School, which promotes excellence in academics and character. It's a four-part program designed to motivate students to be a part of the Honor Society. Celebrity Debra Jo Rupp presented Genoud with the Lottery's "Hero In Education" award. Rupp, who has been featured in numerous television shows including roles on "Friends", "Seinfeld", "Caroline In the City", "ER" and "That '70's Show" was also inspired by her own hero in education, her drama teacher. As for Rupp's own message to today's youth, "Always listen to your heart, and follow your dreams."

California Gold contestant Gertrudis Muniz, who was celebrating her 50th anniversary, went back to the days of the Gold Rush and won $100,000 and then told her husband, "This is for you." Muniz plans to buy a new home with her prize money. Other California Gold contestants won a total of $22,500.

Fantasy 5^TM contestants Nelson Santiago and Setelo Makoni each won $55,000 playing the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine. Santiago, a supervisor from San Francisco, was not new at winning; he had already won $20,823 in 1996 playing Fantasy 5. He plans to use his prize money to help his mother. Makoni, a pipe fitter from Moreno Valley plans to fix up his house and buy a car with the money he won.

This week's Spin-Spin-Spin winner Soledad Avalos, from Marina wants to make her children's dreams come true and help them purchase a home. Avalos will be able to do that with her $40,000 prize.

The California Lottery sells its products through a network of more than 18,000 outlets statewide. The Lottery provides 52.5 percent of its revenues to players as prizes, 34 percent to public schools, and 13.5 percent for administrative expenses, which includes 6.9 percent for retailer commissions. Since 1985, the Lottery has raised more than $11 billion for public schools and has provided an annual average of approximately 38 percent of the Lottery's total revenues to schools. The California Lottery's contribution equals approximately 2 percent of the state's total education budget. "Big Spin® 2000" is the longest running Lottery game show in the country, airing continuously since 1985.

NAME	CITY	AMOUNT
Gertrudis Muniz	Garden Grove	$ 100,000
Nelson Santiago	San Francisco	$ 55,000
Setelo Makoni	Moreno Valley	$ 55,000
Soledad Avalos	Marina	$ 40,000
Other California Gold Winners		$ 22,500
		TOTAL $272,500

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1999 3rd Quarter Press Releases: Article