What Would You Do With $700 million?

The Powerball jackpot is up to $700 million dollars — probably more with all of the people buying tickets today.  This is the 2nd highest jackpot in Powerball’s history.

I bought a couple tickets during the last three days and got into a last minute $5 dollar pool at work.  I didn’t want to spend the five, but it would really suck if they won and I didn’t put my $5 in.  That would really, really suck so I put $5 in.

Winning the jackpot was the topic of conversation at work today.  Winning $400,000 would be enough for me.  We could buy a nice house and pay off my truck and our 5th wheel travel trailer and still have money left over to donate to church and other worthy causes.

But what if I really did win the $700 million?  What would I do with it?  There’s so many positive and uplifting things that could be done with $700 million.

I think I would start a foundation or maybe a couple of different foundations.  One idea for a foundation would be to give teachers the money to do great things in their classrooms that help cultivate smart, creative and motivated students that will help make a difference in this world.   I don’t think teachers get paid enough or have enough resources at their disposal.  This has always been a sore spot for me.   Another idea is to start some kind of suicide prevention foundation where parents and kids can get the counseling or whatever help they need to work through their problems and get to a positive place in their lives.  My 15 year old niece has lost two friends over the last three years to suicide.  It’s heartbreaking.

With all of the bad things going on in the world  I would use the money to be a beacon of good and positive.  Good vibes.  Good health.  Good times.  Good things.  Positive energy.  Positive people.  Positive, uplifting lives.

I believe in the good in people and I am a positive person.  I would love to share this with the world.  I believe I do — in some ways — with my blog, but if I won the money and would be able to do that on that big of a platform.  OMG!  That would kick ass!

When I wake up tomorrow morning I probably won’t be the Powerball winner, but I can still be positive and believe in the good in people.  I can look for the positive things in my life.  I can look the small ways I can help people — like buying school supplies and/or laundry detergent and fabric softener and donating them to our church.   Our church has a program called “Loads of Love” which helps people with their laundry one Saturday a month.   Quarters, laundry detergent and fabric softener are collected throughout the month and the church pays for people who are down on their luck to wash and dry their clothes with the collected items.  I think this is a very cool idea and I always donate items in memory of my dad.

Even though we don’t have $700 million there are ways that each of us can make this world a more positive place with good vibes.

I’m going to stop at church tomorrow and drop off my school supplies.  What are you going to do?