Woman reveals selfless plan for NC lottery winnings: She’ll help dad fulfill a dream

Fancy cars and lavish homes are often on the shopping list for lottery winners, but one North Carolina woman told lottery officials she intends to use the cash to open a tire store.

Yeah, you heard that right.

Abilene Ramirez Navarro of Louisburg made the unusual announcement after her 20X The Cash ticket won a top prize, the North Carolina Education Lottery said in a news release.

The ticket cost $5 and she was worth $250,000, lottery officials said.

Navarro, a dental assistant, said her father is a construction worker with a big dream to own a tire store. She intends to make it happen with her lottery winnings.

“We were not prepared for this at all,” Navarro said in the release. “We’re just so happy. ... This win is going to be really helpful for us.”

Navarro, 26, was on her way to the gym when she made a quick detour to Bailey’s Store in Wake Forest specifically to buy a ticket, officials said.

Like many lottery winners, she was initially skeptical. Navarro resorted to showing the ticket to her mother for confirmation.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, is this true,’” Navarro said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Prizes range from $250,000 down to $5 and odds of winning anything are 1 in 4.12, according to the lottery.

Navarro picked up the money Monday, April 25, at the lottery’s Raleigh headquarters. The winnings came to $177,526 after the state and federal withholdings were taken out, officials said.

This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 7:20 AM with the headline "Woman reveals selfless plan for NC lottery winnings: She’ll help dad fulfill a dream."