Albion, New York, native Brittanie DeClerck dreams of owning her own pet shop someday; a dream she now wants to make real with part of the $1,000,000 top prize she won on an Emerald 8s scratch off ticket from the New York Lottery.
The 19-year-old former dog groomer said she looks forward to seeing her dream come true.
"We all have our dream jobs, but not everyone gets to see that dream come true," said the future entrepreneur. "This is my chance to make it happen."
DeClerck credits her grandmother, a regular Lottery player, for her recent good fortune...in a round about way.
"She told me to stay away from the new tickets like this one because everyone plays them," said the young winner. "So, of course, I did the exact opposite and went right for the Emerald 8s. That's just the way I am."
DeClerck purchased her winning Emerald 8s scratch off ticket on March 1, 2009 at the Yellow Goose Market on North Main Street in Albion, the same store that employs her aunt, Colleen Conklin, as a clerk. Conklin was not working at the store the weekend DeClerck purchased her ticket.
"I wish she was there," said DeClerck, the eldest daughter of 10 children and mother of a two-month-old daughter. "She could have driven me home. As it turned out, I just sat in my car, shaking for 20 minutes before I could drive home to tell my parents." DeClerck claimed her prize the next day at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Rochester.
As is the case with most New York Lottery instant game prizes, the top prize on the Emerald 8s ticket is paid as a 20-year annuity. She will receive her prize in annual payments of $50,000 a year before required tax withholdings. Her annual net check will total $34,075.
DeClerck is the second Orleans County Lottery player ever to collect an over-sized prize check valued at $1,000,000 or more. Her predecessor, Anthony Palermo, also of Albion, collected the first installment on his Win $1,000 A Week For Life prize in 1998 at the age of 38. Now 49, Palermo will continue to receive his prize in quarterly payments for as long as he lives. The guaranteed minimum prize on the Win $1,000 A Week For Life game is $1,000,000.
Just goes to show never know where your blessing may fall from.
I'm sure she will help her parents out, being the eldest of 10.
WTG. Good Luck with her winnings, now she a full time tax-payer!
Welcome to the REAL world of taxes, begging relatives.....
Talk about luck,at 19 she's to young to play the lottery in most states.
I thought in most states the age to be able to start playing the lottery is 18.
lol ...MY question is where the heck is Albion ?? Its sounds like its somewhere upstate ? i am born and raised in NY and have not heard of the town ~ anyone know the surrounding areas ?
Around the corner from tim-buc-to (LOL) just playin. If u don't know
and u stay in the state. I sure don't
You may be right TSC.I just figured that most states were like Iowa.They only recogonize 18,19,& 20 year old as half adults.To young to drink & gamble but old enough to pay taxes and vote.
smart kid...This is one story i am happy about, wish it was 2 or 3 millions that she won...
When young adults 18-26 win 1-7 million i am happy for them, but when they win 60 + millions i don't think is a good idea...well i keep forgetting the taxes anyway...
i didn't know she was the oldest of 10 kids...Good thing she won...
they need to stop giving 1 million and give 2 and 3 instead, because 1 million after taxes you are left with 500,000 and is a long way from there to go to 1 million or 2 and begin accumulatin 100,000 or 120,000 dollars a year for the rest of your life...
Yea, I did the same thing and I live near the Syracuse area! I knew it was near Rochester but had to look it up on a map to find it. Its west of Rochester.
yea sounded like it was a place near "upstate"....well anyway CONGRATS to the lucky winner !
"............said DeClerck, the eldest daughter of 10 children and mother of a two-month-old daughter"
wow, 10 children!!? Even today people are still getting more than 5 kids? wow. She's only 19 so it's a good thing she will get paid in annuities. If she blows her first few years payments she still has future payments to try make it right. Good luck to her.
Congrats to her.
Congratulations
Hmmmm...FORMER pet groomer and she wants to own a pet store? eldest of 10? when its paid in ful she will be 39...go to school first even if its community college otherwise she will be broke in 3 years ...i can only imagaine what the expectations will be on birthdays.
Now that you say it, i feel sorry for her..They dont want to believe me that the lottery is blind and doesn't see a lot of stuff...