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ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL
March 14, 2008
On Jan. 14, 2008, 10 members of a pool of 11 friends came to the Arizona Lottery office to claim their winnings. They arrived with pomp and circumstance in a chauffer-driven black limousine. When the group was asked, “Why the limo?” they replied, “We always wanted to ride in one.” In addition, from the sound of their excitement, it obviously was easier and much more fun to come to the Lottery together.
The pool, all members of East Mesa Moose Lodge #2082, won $200,000 on the Powerball drawing of Jan. 12, 2008. “It’s exciting when we see a group of friends win one of the Lottery games,” said Art Macias, Executive Director of the Arizona Lottery. “Since Arizona joined Powerball in 1994, we have sold nine jackpot tickets and 618 second place tickets.”
This group of 11 winners has been friends for more than 15 years, but has only been playing the Lottery as a pool for a year and a half. They each put in $5 per Powerball draw. Susie Brewer, the “leader of the gang,” purchased 55 tickets. Sometime after 11 p.m. Saturday, she called the Arizona Lottery Hotline, heard the numbers, but thought it was a mistake. She had a couple of other friends check, but no one really believed it.
On Sunday morning, after rechecking the numbers several times, at 5 a.m., Susie began making calls to everyone in the group. Most of them were half-asleep – they either woke up right away or went back to sleep and then woke up later thinking they had dreamt the whole thing. Once the entire group knew they had purchased a winning ticket, everyone in their immediate world knew: friends, family, and the entire Moose Lodge.
Each pool member has a different idea as to how to use the winnings. For example, Eric Henshaw may take a trip to Virginia for a Marine Corps Reunion; Mary and “Bud” Goetz plan to pay off their car; Richard Flamini plans to just enjoy it; Paul Zehringer is going to put his winnings into his IRA; Sue Zehringer is returning to Ohio for a reunion; and Irene Jacobs plans to bring her sister to Arizona for a visit. For Johnny Walker, the one member of the pool who was not able to join his friends because of illness, this win was a highlight.
Although they are a group of friends who enjoy having a good time, they are also extremely community oriented. Through their Moose Lodge, they deliver food baskets during the Thanksgiving holiday to families who need help, raise funds for science projects for Stevenson School, and contribute to Toys for Tots. Sue Zehringer makes blankets for a hospital. Every year Glenna Shepler assumes the role of Mrs. Claus for a children’s Christmas party at the Moose Lodge and makes sure every child has a gift.
This delightful pool of winners planned to make sure the clerk who sold them the ticket was not forgotten by presenting her with a tip.
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