One year ago this week, ten employees of CommuniCare Health Centers bought a group of lottery tickets together. Little did they know that by the end of that week, they would be discussing how to split their $16 million prize. A year later, simply because of the love of their jobs, nine of the ten women are still working at CommuniCare and contributing to their community (one of them has since retired).
When the group learned of their winnings, there were many mixed feelings. “Aside from the excitement and happiness of winning the lottery, the weeks and months that followed were also a stressful and scary time of uncertainty and a certain amount of pressure and obligation and even guilt was felt by all of us,” said one of the winners.
Despite the prize, they pledged not to leave CommuniCare. Continuing to work together allowed them to maintain a bond that helped each of them move forward, and make smart decisions. The winner added, “We leaned on each other for support, and encouraged each other to make smart decisions with our money. We shared our feelings and experiences, we all celebrated accomplishments like finally being able to move out of an apartment and own a home for the first time, the pride of being able to send a son to college, the ability to care for elderly, ailing parents, finally being able to own a car that isn’t always breaking down.” Many of the winners have also made charitable contributions to the community and also to CommuniCare.
The winners have maintained their privacy throughout the year to protect themselves and their families. They were happy to see things calm down during the months that followed. “Life has essentially returned to normal for all of us, but the ten of us share a special bond that will be there for the rest of our lives.”
Now that a year has passed, the winners have continued to enjoy the great organization they work for, “For the ten lucky ladies of CommuniCare, our worry load is a little lighter these days, but for the most part we are back to doing what we do best, serving our community as part of the premier primary health care system of choice.”
About CommuniCare Health Centers:
CommuniCare Health Centers (CCHC) having served San Antonio for over 40 years now, is a full-service primary healthcare system offering Family Medicine, Pediatric Care, Women’s Health and OB/GYN care, Podiatry, Dental and Behavioral Health Services and After Hours Urgent Care to residents in Bexar and Hays counties. In 2012, CCHC delivered more than 150,000 visits at two health centers in San Antonio and two in Hays County. In the fall of 2012, CCHC opened its newest health care facility on the Northwest side of San Antonio. As a non-profit community health center, it serves those with Medicaid, Medicare, Private Insurance and those that do not have insurance, charging on a sliding-fee scale based on annual household income and family size. For more information on CommuniCare Health Centers please visit http://www.communicaresatx.com.