An Army veteran from Statesville, North Carolina, plans to give his $250,000 lottery jackpot to help people battling substance abuse.

Terry McClelland and his wife intend to use the proceeds from his lucky scratch-off ticket win to start a non-profit counseling center aimed at freeing people from their addictions — his wife's lifelong dream.

"This is what I was put on this earth to do," McClelland's wife, also named Terry, told lottery officials. She is is pursuing her doctorate in psychology. "It's my calling," she said. "This is why I did all those years of college. There's people out there that need something, and now we are going to be able to help and bless someone else."

Her husband stopped by the Speedway on Turnersburg Highway in Statesville on Saturday to play the $250,000 Diamond Dazzler scratch-off. He beat odds of 1 in 1.2 million.

"When I scratched that ticket, I couldn't believe it," he said when the couple claimed the prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Monday. "It's still unbelievable."

After state and federal tax withholdings, the couple took home $173,754.

The $5 game started in September with five top prizes of $250,000. Two top prizes remain to be claimed.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Army veteran Terry McClelland and his wife intend to use the proceeds from his lucky scratch-off ticket win in Statesville to start a non-profit counseling center for people battling substance abuse — his wife’s lifelong dream.