RALEIGH – Felix Scism of Forest City plans to purchase a new motorhome and tour the United States with his wife after winning an $876,185 jackpot playing Carolina Cash 5. Scism realized he’d matched all five numbers in the Aug. 25 drawing while sitting in his home on Monday morning.

“I looked at the lottery’s website and it said someone from Forest City had won,” Scism said. “I wondered ‘Could it be me?’ Then I took the ticket out of my billfold and the numbers just seemed to be lit up.”

Scism plans to use a portion of his winnings, worth $595,806 after state and federal taxes were withheld, to help his family. He purchased the lucky ticket, which beat odds of 1 in 575,757, at the Ingles Market on South Church Street in Forest City.

“I always wondered what it would feel like to win a big prize like this,” Scism said. “Well, let me tell you how it feels. I felt a pounding in my chest and I just started jumping up and down. I started screaming and hollering. Even the dog started barking along with me. It feels great to have this blessing. It’s nothing that you can prepare for.”

As he collected his winnings, Scism offered some advice for lottery players.

“Don’t give up hope,” Scism said. “You never know when or if it will happen, so play for fun and don’t spend what you can’t afford. Be smart about it and have a good time.”

Scism is the second player from Forest City this month to win a big lottery prize. Dan Royal scratched off the top prize playing a $5,000 a Week for Life! ticket. It was Royal’s second big lottery win. In February of 2012, he won $750,000 playing Jumbo Bucks.

Ticket sales for games such as Carolina Cash 5 make it possible for the N.C. Education Lottery to raise money for education programs in all 100 counties.

To see how more than $16.3 million in lottery dollars have made a difference in Rutherford County, click on the Where the Money Goes tab on the lottery’s website.