The latest VaxCash 2.0 winner is an Anne Arundel County man going by “Holy Cow! It’s Real!” Pictured here, the $50,000 winner of the March 22 VaxCash 2.0 drawing (right) and his wife (left).
Winner was selected in March 22 drawing
A 76-year-old Anne Arundel County man and his wife visited Lottery headquarters on March 24 to claim his $50,000 VaxCash 2.0 Promotion prize from the March 22 drawing.
The winner, using the nickname “Holy Cow! It’s Real!,” explained what it was like to receive the news that he had been selected from millions of Marylanders to win the $50,000 VaxCash 2.0 prize.
“I wasn’t sure about the call initially and I almost hung up,” Holy Cow said of the phone call he received from the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). “But the calming voice on the other end of the line was able to convince me that this was genuine.”
Describing his desire to become vaccinated and later boosted, Holy Cow said he there had been no hesitation on his part, but he also had lots of encouragement from his family.
“I have two daughters that work in the medical community and they were very worried about me,” he explained.
Additionally, Holy Cow felt a sense of obligation to become vaccinated. “Certainly, this is about protecting oneself, but I’m also protecting you and your family,” said the winner.
The pandemic brought many changes for the winner and his family. He said that in the past two years he transitioned from a small business owner/operator into full retirement, and he and his wife downsized, moving from their home of many decades. The winner said although timing of these events was unplanned, it just worked out for him and his family — just like winning the VaxCash prize. “We’re not too sure what emotions to have. Things have worked out pretty well for us,” said Holy Cow.
The winner said that he and his wife have a few ideas for how to use the $50,000 prize, but are looking for inspiration.
“We want to do some good with this and plan to find some charitable causes for these funds. We will be sending a portion of the winnings to Catholic Relief Services for their aid effort in Ukraine,” said the winner.
The Millersville man is one of six VaxCash 2.0 winners so far, and one of five winners of $50,000. The promotion’s first drawing on Feb. 15 awarded a $500,000 prize to a Dundalk woman. Five more $50,000 prize drawings remain, and the last drawing on May 3 will award a grand prize of $1 million.
VaxCash 2.0 follows last year’s successful collaboration between the Lottery and MDH for the VaxCash Promotion that ran from May 25 through July 4, 2021, awarding $2 million in prizes to vaccinated Marylanders. For complete details about VaxCash 2.0, including the official rules and a list of frequently asked questions and answers, visit the VaxCash 2.0 page.
