'I Fell To My Knees At The Gas Pump': Laid Off Teacher Wins $250,000 Lottery Prize

December 24, 2020

After a difficult few months, a North Carolina man hit a stroke of good luck.

Credit: NC Lottery

Joe Camp was a preschool teacher for 20 years and was laid off in September. A month later, his father died.

"It put me in a dark place. But I have a lot of friends and family that just told me to keep sticking in there, keep believing in myself," he said.

Camp said he buys a scratch-off ticket every Thursday morning. This time, he bought two.

I didn't win on the first one, so I tried the second and I scratched it off, and I fell to my knees at the gas pump," he said.

He won the $250,000 top prize.

"What I plan on doing with my winnings is having a future for my daughter," he said.

His plans include a new home for himself and his daughter and saving for her education.

"I want to get a home because I want to set it up for my family, my grandkids," he said. "I want to have something for us. I never had anything, no one passed anything down, and that's what I want to do."