7-Eleven Franchisee to Donate Part of Lottery Commission to Pioneer
The one in 302,575,350 chance of winning one of the biggest Mega Millions jackpot was hit at the nearby 7-Eleven.
By Mia Howell
The one in 302,575,350 chance of winning one of the biggest Mega Millions jackpot was hit at the nearby 7-Eleven.
By Mia Howell
Winning the lottery would be a dream come true for most people. That dream was granted for one local on Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing on Oct. 14. The draw had a total jackpot of almost $500 million dollars, split between two winners, one of whom purchased their ticket at the Kooser Road 7-Eleven, located down the street from Pioneer.
The California store where the ticket was purchased will receive a $1,000,000 commission. 52% of the commission received will go to the 7-Eleven company and the remaining 48% to the franchisee. On top of that, the commission is taxed between 25 and 30%. Hamideh Naderi, owner of the Kooser location and three others, has plans to donate some of the money that she receives to Pioneer High School.
“Education is very, very important to me. With education we can make change in the world,” said Naderi. “I have a lot of good customers from the school. I have a lot of students coming here.”
Naderi’s plan is to meet with Principal Brad Craycroft to discuss where he thinks the money should be dedicated to. Her ultimate goal is to do something for the students at Pioneer that will improve their education and mental health.
“We have to talk to our central office to see if we can accept the money and do a lot of things to make sure it’s on the up and up,” said Craycroft. “If we had a complete choice I think we’d look at our needs and take the school site council, faculty and student voice into account.”
Mega Millions is a Tuesday and Friday night draw game, through 47 lotteries available in 45 states in addition to the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. There are nine ways to win, each starting with a $2 fee per play. According to the California Lottery, “Players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers - five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball.)” The jackpot is reached by matching all six numbers, which both the California and Florida winner did.
The other winning ticket in Florida was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Fort Myers, the area hardest hit by Hurricane Ian, a category four storm. According to the Florida lottery the winner has 180 days to claim and cannot remain anonymous. However, California Lottery laws state that the winner has one calendar year to come forward, or the prize will be passed on to California public schools. By press time, neither winner has revealed themselves.
Naderi, who is an Iranian immigrant, is also considering putting money towards education in Iran, such as building a school. For the past month and a half, several people have been killed in protests regarding the Islamic Republic dress codes after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Another girl, 16-year-old Nika Shakarami went missing and was later found dead after burning a headscarf at a protest on Sept. 20.
“The most important thing Iranian people want to do is share the news about them and to force the American government to put more sanctions towards the government and not the people,” said Naderi.
With the 7-Eleven so close to school, many of its customers are Pioneer students and staff members. Barrett Leighton, 10, often goes after school with his friends.
“The 7-Eleven makes an amazing last- minute snack stop after school with my buddies. With it being down the street from Pioneer, it makes it quick and easy to stop and get chips, drinks or a Slurpee,” said Leighton.
The California store where the ticket was purchased will receive a $1,000,000 commission. 52% of the commission received will go to the 7-Eleven company and the remaining 48% to the franchisee. On top of that, the commission is taxed between 25 and 30%. Hamideh Naderi, owner of the Kooser location and three others, has plans to donate some of the money that she receives to Pioneer High School.
“Education is very, very important to me. With education we can make change in the world,” said Naderi. “I have a lot of good customers from the school. I have a lot of students coming here.”
Naderi’s plan is to meet with Principal Brad Craycroft to discuss where he thinks the money should be dedicated to. Her ultimate goal is to do something for the students at Pioneer that will improve their education and mental health.
“We have to talk to our central office to see if we can accept the money and do a lot of things to make sure it’s on the up and up,” said Craycroft. “If we had a complete choice I think we’d look at our needs and take the school site council, faculty and student voice into account.”
Mega Millions is a Tuesday and Friday night draw game, through 47 lotteries available in 45 states in addition to the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. There are nine ways to win, each starting with a $2 fee per play. According to the California Lottery, “Players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers - five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball.)” The jackpot is reached by matching all six numbers, which both the California and Florida winner did.
The other winning ticket in Florida was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Fort Myers, the area hardest hit by Hurricane Ian, a category four storm. According to the Florida lottery the winner has 180 days to claim and cannot remain anonymous. However, California Lottery laws state that the winner has one calendar year to come forward, or the prize will be passed on to California public schools. By press time, neither winner has revealed themselves.
Naderi, who is an Iranian immigrant, is also considering putting money towards education in Iran, such as building a school. For the past month and a half, several people have been killed in protests regarding the Islamic Republic dress codes after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Another girl, 16-year-old Nika Shakarami went missing and was later found dead after burning a headscarf at a protest on Sept. 20.
“The most important thing Iranian people want to do is share the news about them and to force the American government to put more sanctions towards the government and not the people,” said Naderi.
With the 7-Eleven so close to school, many of its customers are Pioneer students and staff members. Barrett Leighton, 10, often goes after school with his friends.
“The 7-Eleven makes an amazing last- minute snack stop after school with my buddies. With it being down the street from Pioneer, it makes it quick and easy to stop and get chips, drinks or a Slurpee,” said Leighton.