Mystery Lottery Player Donates Winning Ticket to Hospital

(Aug. 22) -- Many lottery winners choose to splash their prize money on fast cars or swanky vacations. But one anonymous Kansas Lottery player recently decided they'd spend their $10,000 winnings on a far worthier cause: funding their local hospital.

Susan Concannon, executive director of the Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation in Beloit (pop. 4,000), discovered the surprise gift when she was opening her mail late last month. "We have a PO Box that I visit every day, and hope that someone sends me some money," Susan Concannon told local TV station KAKE. "It was a very nondescript envelope that was in the P.O. Box on July 28th, no return address."

www.kake.com

Officials at Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation in Beloit, Kan., are thankful for whomever donated their winning lottery ticket.

Inside the envelope was a state lottery ticket, and an unsigned note that, according to the Salina Journal, read: "Please accept this gift for the Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation for the good work you do. God Bless!"

Although the donor almost certainly knew the value of the ticket, Concannon and hospital CEO David Dick didn't have a clue. When they checked the numbers, they found that one line on the slip matched four numbers and the Powerball for the July 17 draw. That meant the ticket was worth a hefty $10,000. "It just seems so much more special that it was prize money," Concannon told KAKE. "I'd like to let them know how much it is appreciated and that we think they're a pretty special person."

And the money couldn't have arrived at a better time. The hospital is currently undergoing an $11-million renovation funded entirely by private donations. And the clinic is also trying to raise enough cash to build a new office and accommodation where patients' families can stay overnight.

"This is one of the most amazing lottery stories we've heard," Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Petten said in a statement. "We're glad it happened here in Kansas and we salute the generous player who made this donation to help other people."

Who was behind that bighearted donation, though, is still a mystery. According to lottery officials, the ticket was bought at a gas station a mere two blocks from the hospital. "The person obviously is a reflection of our community and the generosity that this community has," Dick said to the TV station. "That's the amazing part of the story. All that trust in sending an unsigned ticket to a foundation."