A Nova Scotia woman says she never thought she would become a millionaire after winning the biggest 50-50 draw in the province’s history.
On Thursday evening, Kayla Aldridge was announced as the winner of the Nova Scotia Firefighters 50-50 online raffle, which was touted as the largest draw of its kind in the province’s history.
Aldridge won an astonishing $1,467,620.
“I never in a million years thought something like this would happen to me,” she said.
Aldridge, who works as an LPN while taking part-time classes to become a registered nurse, said she learned of her win when she received a call from Amherst with no caller identification.
She said she was hesitant to answer because she didn’t know anyone in that Nova Scotia town.
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“They asked if it was Kayla, is there anyone with you, are you sitting down,” she continued. “And then they told me I just won.”
“I started crying.”
The 50-50 Draw, designed to raise funds to support firefighters across the province, is a weekly online jackpot hosted by Nova Scotia Firefighters 50-50, a non-profit group.
The total jackpot was $2.9 million, with 269 departments receiving the remaining proceeds from ticket sales after the split.
Eldridge said the first thing she plans to do is use the money to pay off her remaining student-loan debt.
“It’s kind of exciting that I don’t have to worry about student loans anymore. I went back to school so many times, so I have a lot of student debt,” she said.
She also hopes to buy a new home with a bit more storage space. She said she plans to gift her current home to her brother and 5-year-old nephew once she moves out.
When asked about his decision to buy tickets for the draw, Aldridge revealed that he bought them at the “last minute”, just before the deadline.
“I only spent ten bucks, got three numbers, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to win,” she said.
Regarding her holiday plans, she said the exciting news hasn’t changed how she plans to spend Christmas.
“I’m going to spend Christmas with my family,” she said. “Go over to my parents’ for dinner tonight and then go over to my aunt’s house for a party later.”
She said she is excited to have a few days off work for the holidays.
The Huntsport Fire Department, Eldridge’s local fire hall will receive a $1,000 bonus from the draw.
Skye Bryden-Blom
Aldridge bought her tickets in support of the Huntsport Fire Department, meaning her local fire station would receive $1,000 in bonus income in addition to the amount they would receive from the initial split.
“In an area like this, all of our firefighters are volunteers and they are a big part of our community, so it’s really a no brainer to help them,” she said.
The next online draw, hosted by Nova Scotia Firefighters 50-50, will take place on December 29.