Marie Holmes, Single Mother From North Carolina, Wins One Third Of $564 Powerball Jackpot

Marie Holmes, a North Carolina resident received her third of the $564 million Powerball jackpot on Monday.

Marie Holmes Takes Home $127 Million Jackpot

Holmes, a 26-year-old single mother of four, is one of three people who had the winning numbers drawn on Feb. 11. Holmes, who is the only winner to have identified herself to the press so far, has been making the media rounds, appearing at a press conference on Monday and on Good Morning America.

“I still don’t believe it. I don’t know when I’m gonna actually believe it,” Holmes admitted to GMA’s Robin Roberts.

Holmes chose to take home a lump sum payment of $127 million, and it’s safe to say the shock has not yet worn off. While Holmes stated that she wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do with her new millions – she now has a lawyer and financial adviser to help her – she is determined to provide for her family, which includes buying a house and setting up college funds for her children. “I wanna get my mama a house and fix up my grandma’s house and put some money away for my children,” Holmes told GMA.

Holmes added that she looked forward to having the power to tell her children yes and no. “It’s everything, like, anything my kids ask for I can actually get it for them, and I don’t have to tell them no,” Holmes said at the press conference.

When asked if she would still tell her children no, Holmes responded with a strong, “Yes.”

According to ABC News, Holmes is also planning to use some of her winnings to pay for nursing school and says she wants to donate money both to her church and charity organizations focusing on cerebral palsy – one of her children suffers from the disease.

The $564 million jackpot was the third largest in Powerball history and the fifth largest ever in the U.S. A winner in Puerto Rico has chosen to remain anonymous and a third winner in Texas has yet to come forward.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.