(Columbia, SC) - Look around South Carolina, who do you know that has benefited from some form of lottery-funded scholarship? The answer may be a cousin; a coworker’s child; a hardworking neighbor continuing their education; a friend getting a degree to change careers; or your own child.

Since 2002 through academic year 2008, over 588,000 students have received more than $1.1 billion in lottery-funded scholarships and grants. Proceeds from the South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) are deposited into the Education Lottery Account and appropriated by the General Assembly to support education in the Palmetto State. Appropriations since the Lottery's inception total more than $2 billion through June 2009.

Families of students pursuing higher education are thankful for the lottery-funded scholarships. One mother, who is a teacher in Charleston, shared her daughter’s scholarship experience. She comments, “Thank you for funding scholarships that allowed my child to attend the College of Charleston and graduate in 2007. I am a public school teacher and would have had a hard time coming up with the full tuition payment. My daughter was motivated to do an excellent job academically to maintain the scholarship. I am proud that she was able to keep the scholarship for all four years and that she earned the financial support because of her excellent high school grades and SAT scores.”