Irish Woman Who Won $145M Lottery Has Given Over Half: ‘I’m Addicted to Helping People’

A self-described charity junkie won $145 million (£115 million) in the lotto, allowing her to overdose on her obsession.

Frances Connelly has already given out £60 million with her husband, “Patty” Patrick, who purchased the winning lottery ticket, making headlines across the UK and Ireland.

“Aiding others… It simply makes you feel good. In an interview, Connelly, 55, remarked, “I’m addicted to it now.”

Connelly has been assisting others since he was a child. As a child, she volunteered with St. John’s Ambulance, and as a student in Belfast, she established an AIDS helpline. She is the founder of various community organizations that support refugees and provide elders with tablets so they may video contact their families.

She had so many ideas for ways to help others after winning the EuroMillions 2019 jackpot that she used the money to start two professional organizations right away.

“So, when we sat down with our cup of tea, Patty said, ‘Go on then, write your list,'” Connelly explained. She claims that most of the major money ideas have already been distributed, and that she has a “yearly charity budget” from her husband, who continues to work at his plastics company, albeit she has already depleted her allotment for 2032.

She wasn’t overwhelmed; instead, she remembered all the chats she’d had over the years about what she’d do if she won the lotto; the hierarchy of assisting was well established.

They did buy a new house, a six-bedroom mansion in Durham with seven acres of land, as a particular treat.

“I’ve never had to come to grips with all that money because we’ve only had it for a short time,” she adds, adding that the majority of it has already been divided among her huge family, donated to charity, or put in a secure location.

“If I had any winning advice… Money, I’d say, allows you to be the person you want to be,” she told the BBC, who also reported on her winnings. “You’ll be foolish after you acquire it if you’re stupid before you get it.”

Source: goodnewsnetwork.org