On Monday, Harrison Ridgell III’s lucky set of numbers won him a share of the $986,523 Cash 5 jackpot and the chance to make a difference in his community.

“I started playing Cash 5 five years ago,” said Ridgell. “The numbers are a combination of birthdays, days of the week, and numbers that I feel like are lucky.”

Ridgell, of Lillington, purchased his lucky $1 ticket from Cape Fear Beverage on West Old Road NC 27 West in Lillington.

He was at his parent’s house later that night when he was checking his tickets. As he was watching the TV, he was shocked to see his numbers being drawn. “I already knew the numbers in my head and when I saw them come out I said, ‘Hey! That’s my numbers,’” he recalled.

He claimed his part of the jackpot, $328,841, Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required federal and state tax withholdings, Ridgell took home $232,655.

“I wanted to win a Cash 5 jackpot because I want to do something good with the money,” he said. “It ain’t about me. We can do more if we just take ourselves out of the picture. We gotta reach down and gotta help somebody else up.”

He plans to donate his time and some of his prize money to a non-profit supporting youth in his community.

“It’s about what you’re going to leave in this world to make it better for somebody else. This is a blessing and I’m going to use it for something good for the betterment of the people in my community.”

Two other lucky tickets, both purchased with Online Play, matched all five numbers in the drawing. Each will receive a third of the jackpot.

Carolina Cash 5 tickets are $1 and drawings are held every night. Wednesday’s jackpot is $110,000. Cash 5 is one of four lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets either through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million a year for education. For details on how $8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Harnett County in 2019, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.