Jerry Hughes of Burlington said he was on his way to help raise money for a good cause when “karma” placed into his path a $250,000 lottery ticket.

On Saturday, Hughes and his girlfriend, Donna, were riding their Harleys to participate in the 2019 Duffy Charity Ride, one of about eight charity rides they do each year. On the way, they stopped to get gas at Huff’s Interstate on East Maple Avenue in Burlington and Hughes bought four 20X The Cash tickets.

His ‘what goes around comes around’ moment came just before the ride when he scratched the first ticket and saw the $250,000 prize. A celebration broke out with some “hollering”, some tears, and then congratulations.

“All of our friends were there saying, ‘If anybody deserves this, it’s you, Jerry,’” recalled Donna. “He’s helped out so many people.”

Hughes said Monday he knows exactly why he won. “Karma,” he said. “You do good, you get good. You do bad, you get bad. And I believe it.”

Hughes, who owns and runs a tow truck company, took home $176,876 after tax withholdings. He said he and his girlfriend plan to take a cruise, a trip to Hawaii and save the rest to invest. “This just makes life a little easier,” he says.

Tickets from the lottery’s Multiply The Cash games can be entered into second-chance drawings to win up to $50,000. The next drawing is scheduled for June 5. Players have until May 31 to enter.

Ticket sales from instant games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how $9.3 million in lottery funds made a difference in Alamance County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.