SACRAMENTO – Terry Zuniga, a Whittier resident and caregiver, won $1,231,934 in Friday’s MEGA Millions drawing after matching 5 out of 6 numbers.
“When I found out I was the winner of more than $1 million I couldn’t believe it,” said Zuniga. When asked what she plans to do with her winnings she said, “I’m taking four of my friends on vacation with me and I’m going to pay for two of my foster grandchildren’s college education.”
Zuniga serves as proof that good things happen to good people, having raised 17 foster children over the course of her life. And, she loves her job as a caregiver for the elderly so much that she doesn’t plan to stop working.
This isn’t the first time Zuniga has won the California Lottery; she previously took home $57,000 after playing Fantasy 5. Zuniga purchased her wining ticket at the 7-Eleven in Whittier on Santa Fe Springs Blvd.
No one matched all six numbers in Friday’s MEGA Millions drawing for a jackpot worth $37 million. That means that the MEGA Millions jackpot for Tuesday, April 24, will be an estimated $47 million! MEGA Millions tickets are available at the Lottery’s approximately 19,000 retail locations statewide. The MEGA Millions draw takes place each Tuesday and Friday night at 8:00 p.m. Players may purchase MEGA Millions tickets until 7:45 p.m. on the night of the draw.
Public education receives at least 34 cents of ever dollar that players spend on Lottery games and MEGA Millions. The Lottery contributed $1.28 billion to public education in 2005-06 out of sales of $3.58 billion, the sixth year in a row the Lottery has provided more than $1 billion in supplemental funding for education. Retailers won too, earning over $252 million in compensation last year selling Lottery products. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $18 billion to California schools.