Family That Won $300 Million Jackpot Spends It in an Unusual Way

Well, Mark and Cindy Hill of Dearborn, Missouri, got that chance. We don’t know what you would do, but there seem to be two choices – spend it or share it. Let’s find out what this couple did – it amazed us and wowed their community.

The couple had four children, three sons and an adopted daughter from China, who was six years old at the time. They were thrilled to add a little daughter to their family, knowing that they would give her the kind of life and future she would not have had in China. 

Cindy forgot to take the tickets into the house and left them in the car. Like most people, she’d bought the tickets but never imagined she’d win anything. Most of the times she’d purchased a lottery ticket, she completely ignored it.

Nevertheless, when she took her daughter to school the next day and heard the news again on the radio, she decided to stop at a local convenience store to check out the lucky numbers. She didn’t have to drive home to get her tickets because she had left them in the car.

She quickly called Mark, not even knowing how to tell him the news. How do you tell your husband that you’ve become multi-millionaires in one day? Breathless and hardly able to speak, she said, “I think I’m having a heart attack…I think we just won the lottery!”

At the time, Mark had been working at a deli packaging factory. He had worked so hard his whole life, and the thought of not having to work was hard to process. His son Jason was thrilled for his hard-working dad.

“I’m very happy for him,” Jason told ABC News. “He’s worked hard in his life; well, not anymore. Well, I hope we all stay very grounded, stay humble, and don’t forget who we are.”

She was thrilled not to have to work and to have adventures with her family. One priority was a visit to Ireland since the family was descended from Irish immigrants. But in the end, she said, they’d go “wherever the wind takes us.”

Giving the money to others just seemed natural to them. They were simple people without grandiose dreams, and felt that the money had fallen into their laps for a reason. The Hills really wanted to think about how they spent it. Their generosity didn’t go unnoticed.

Stubbs said, “They are doing some really nice things for the community, and they’ve taken care of their family.” Knowing the Hills, Stubbs was not surprised at how the family spread their wealth. The Hills’ plans, however, went beyond what anyone imagined.

With the new fire department, the Chief and his staff would have a better, faster connection to the main arteries and be able get to local highways more quickly. The building was also constructed in order to save energy, and even included living quarters for the firefighters.

People asked Mark why he chose this particular cause. He explained that years ago, his own father had been saved twice by volunteer firefighters. It was always a cause dear to his heart, and he promised himself that if he ever came into money, his first priority would be to improve the lives of firefighters.

And that was not the only cause the Hills helped. They also paid for a new baseball field for the local kids and donated over $50,000 to the community to use in other ways. Mark was able to fulfill his dream of helping out his hometown.

With the new sewage treatment plant, the residents would be able to stop using their septic tanks and make use of the town’s sewage system. Camden Point’s mayor, Kevin Boydston, was thrilled with the donation and for what it meant to the town’s progress.

The Hills continued to spread their incredible wealth in other areas as well. Their old high school received considerable funds, allowing Cindy and Mark to honor the place where they and their friends enjoyed their teen years.

To be sure, the local families were deeply grateful for the boon to the fund that will help current and future students. But most proud was Mark’s mother, Shirley, who was so thrilled that her son and daughter-in-law chose to share their winnings in such a meaningful way.

Everyone around them noticed and appreciated this generosity and humility. While many couples with that kind of money would spend wildly on new cars and homes, this couple looked inward to figure out what they were meant to do at this point in their lives.

Being shy and rather private, neither Mark nor Cindy wanted any kind of celebration or event to recognize what they had done. They preferred to stay out of the limelight. However, they realized that the residents really wanted a chance to meet them and thank them in person.

Then he said, “But he’s done things for the city of Camden Point, for North Platte High School, and it’s ongoing.” He added, “I mean, his generosity just knows no bounds. It’s just an amazing family.” He knew that the town’s residents would never forget what the Hills had done for their town.