If you won the lottery, what would you do? Would you pay off your house and car? Perhaps you’d go on a nice trip or blow some cash on something fancy.
Many people out there would probably help out their loved ones or pursue a new passion. But how many of us would give all that money away?
That’s what one woman in the UK decided to do with her windfall, and it’s inspiring a heck of a lot of people.
How One Woman Won a Massive Amount of Money
Frances Connolly is a former social worker and teacher in her fifties who just really loves helping others. So much so that when she and her husband, Patrick, won the EuroMillions in 2019, they immediately knew they weren’t keeping all of their estimated $140 million USD prize.
“This is a massive sum of money and we want it to have a huge impact on the lives of other people we know and love as well as on our future too,” Frances said at the time.
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“It's going to be so much fun giving it away. The pleasure for me is going to be seeing people's faces.”
Three years later, in April 2022, and the couple revealed that they have already given more than half of that jackpot away.
“Why wouldn’t you? I’ve done that all my life,” she revealed in an interview with PA News, as per the BBC.
How One Woman Is Spending Money on Her Terms
According to the BBC, Frances and Patrick had agreed to a yearly charity budget once they won, but at the time of press, they’d already spent up to 2032’s allocation.
They revealed they immediately gave away money to family and friends, but they also set up two charitable foundations: one named after Frances’s late mother, Kathleen Graham, and one called the PFC Trust that supports the elderly and refugees in her native Ireland.
In total, Frances believes she’s spent about $73.5 million USD, but she doesn’t actually keep track (mostly to not alarm her husband).
“[Helping others] gives you a buzz, and it's addictive,” she shrugged. “I’m addicted to it now.”
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Frances would rather help young people starting up in her community or those in need than spend money on fancy things anyhow. Sure, she and her husband have a six-bedroom home with seven acres, and Patrick drives a second-hand Aston Martin. But giving away money is something she’s done her whole life — now she just gets to do it on a larger scale.
“I'd have been a millionaire anyway if I took back all the money I've given away over the years,” she told PA News, adding that money can help a person out, but it doesn’t define who you are.
“If you're stupid before you get it, you're going to be stupid afterwards,” she continued. “If I had any advice for a winner... I'd say money liberates you to be the person that you want to be.”
How One Lottery Winner Is Proving the Importance of Giving Back
We’ve all probably talked about how money isn’t everything at one point or another in our lives. But when faced with deciding whether to keep millions for herself or give her money away to people who really needed it, Frances followed through. It’s an inspiring story that makes you wonder what you would do in a similar position.
For now, not all of us will be lottery winners in life, and that’s okay. We don’t have to give away millions to make a difference — small acts of charity and kindness can also change someone else’s life for the better. The point is to set a charitable goal for yourself and follow through as Frances did.
That could mean donating a set amount weekly, monthly, or yearly. Or it could mean setting aside a certain number of hours to volunteer your time with the community. However you decide to give back, remember that it won’t just make a difference in someone else’s life: as per Frances, it will make you feel good too.
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