Michelle McClure of Waynesville said she enjoys playing the lottery because she wants to support education, and that support won her a $200,000 scratch-off prize.

“I’m helping my kids get their education and that’s what matters to me,” McClure said. “I can never lose if my money goes to my kids’ education.”

McClure bought her lucky $5 Gold Standard ticket from Southeast Energy on South Main Street in Waynesville.

“I was sort of in a trance when I saw I won,” McClure said.

McClure collected her prize Tuesday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $142,021.

“This really helps us out tremendously,” McClure said. “It couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

She said would like to use her winnings to pay off her mortgage and also take a summer family trip to a water park in Tennessee.

Gold Standard debuted in March with six $200,000 prizes. Two $200,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $2.8 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Haywood County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.