When asked what they would do with a multi-million dollar haul in the lottery, most people would respond with a wish list of items: travel the globe, buy a house for my Ma, retire early. Not these two.
After winning about $11.2 million in a July 14 Lotto 649 draw, Allen and Violet Large (a surname that no doubt describes the size of their hearts), opted to give away the bulk of their fortune, rather than upgrade their simple lifestyle. The Nova Scotia Chronicle Herald says the money went to over 70 churches, cemeteries, hospitals, fire departments and other charities.
“We’ve been very fortunate with everything,” Violet Large told The Canadian Press in a video interview posted on the Nova Scotia Chronicle Herald website. “I’ve never complained because there’s somebody worse off than I am.”
The couple, who live in a modest, but well kept 147-year-old house and drive a 1987 Dodge Diplomat, have no intention of changing a single thing about the way they live.
“Everybody can’t understand why,” said Allen Large. “Everybody says, ‘why, why, why do you want to give it away for? Why wouldn’t you keep it for yourselves?’ Well, we worked for 30 years up in Ontario, we put a little bit away every year for our retirement, so we didn’t need this big amount.”
Their generosity is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that Violet, who has lost all her hair, finished chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer just last week. It’s worth noting that thanks to universal health care in Canada, she wouldn’t have had to pay a dime for her treatment, leaving her free to share the wealth (something to consider in light of current calls for a repeal of President Obama‘s new health care laws in the United States.)
One blog headline referred to the Larges as the “Nicest Canadian Couple in the World” ? a statement NPR called “redundant.” I’m proud to say I’m a born and bred Canadian. But I still can’t imagine giving all my lottery winnings away.
Photo by Saucy Salad via Flickr.