Wisconsin Powerball winner surprises random mom with $200 gift card on Mother's Day

May 14, 2019, 11:57 am (12 comments)

Powerball

Includes video report

FRANKLIN PARK, Wisc. — A Franklin Park, Wisconsin, mother shopping Sunday at Target walked out with more than just the diapers on her list.

A young man she had never met before handed her a $200 gift card and told her he just wanted to bless a mom on Mother's Day with something unexpected.

"With everything kind of going on in the world, and you just hear so much negative news, I really just wanted people to feel inspired and feel like you know, hey maybe I can do something too to spread that joy," said Nicole Domitro.

Domitro snapped a photo of herself with the Good Samaritan in Target. Turns out, he's Manuel Franco and if he looks familiar, that's because he's the 24-year-old man from West Allis, Wisconsin who won the $768 million Powerball jackpot last month.

(See Wisconsin man, 24, claims $768.4M Powerball lottery jackpot, Lottery Post, Apr. 23, 2019.)

At a press conference afterward, he said he bought $10 worth of tickets at a gas station, feeling lucky, and that he had less than a thousand dollars in his bank account. Now, he's on a mission to give back.

VIDEO: Watch the report

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Fox 32

Comments

Bleudog101

Paying it forward, what a nice gesture.  Somebody raised him properly.

music*'s avatarmusic*

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on May 14, 2019

Paying it forward, what a nice gesture.  Somebody raised him properly.

I Agree! with you Bleudog101. My store will be WalMart. I might reach out to a homeless shelter and see if I can do the same there.

TheMeatman2005's avatarTheMeatman2005

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on May 14, 2019

Paying it forward, what a nice gesture.  Somebody raised him properly.

I Agree!

A nice "feel good" story.

msmillionaire's avatarmsmillionaire

yes good blessings!!!

msmillionaire's avatarmsmillionaire

next time i bet he buy some people a car!!

maximumfun's avatarmaximumfun

That was a lovely story!

sully16's avatarsully16

Great story. 

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

Nice!

Dance

greatguy's avatargreatguy

Looks like he is doing more good then Jack Whittaker could ever do.Hurray!

Stack47

Probably just me, but a $768 million Powerball jackpot winner giving out one $200 gift card on Mothers Day won't give him many philanthropist of the year votes.

noise-gate

Seems Manuel Franco is not letting the money go to his head. Not splashing out on expensive clothes. Spending on others...Hmmm.

News story photo
KY Floyd's avatarKY Floyd

"giving out one $200 gift card on Mothers Day won't give him many philanthropist of the year votes."

No, but who knows what else he's already done or what he'll do in the future? If the woman had simply taken the card and said "Thank You" we wouldn't even know about this.

Im thinking this could qualify him for some kind of irony award, though. I'm sure there are plenty of people who already wants something from him, and his moment in the spotlight happens at

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