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Christi Davis of New Bern, a retired master sergeant from the U.S. Marines, said she planned to use some of a $500,000 Powerball prize to help others, according to a press release from the North Carolina Education Lottery.

“It’s been a hard year for everyone,” Davis said Friday as she collected her prize. “We want to pay it forward to some people and some organizations around town.”

Her good luck started last Saturday night about 8 p.m. when she realized she did not have a ticket for that night’s Powerball drawing. She took out her smartphone and used her NC Lottery Official Mobile App to get a $3 Power Play ticket.

Her Quick Pick ticket matched four of the white balls and the Powerball, winning her $50,000. Because she bought a Power Play ticket, her prize jumped ten times to $500,000 when the 10X multiplier was drawn. She learned of her good luck Sunday morning when she got a notification about a win.

“I feel like I am in a dream,” said Davis, who served 22 years in the Marines. “I think I am still trying to accept it.”

After required state and federal tax withholdings, Davis took home $353,751. She said she hoped to “get the whole family” to go on a family vacation.

Her ticket was one of three bought in North Carolina that matched four white balls and the Powerball in last Saturday’s drawing. The odds of that are 1 in 913,129.

For details on how funds raised by the lottery made an impact last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.

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