Studies say that 75 percent of lottery winners eventually end up broke or right back where they started. If that fate befalls Charmaine Watson, at least she won’t have blown all of her winnings on useless luxuries — the British citizen has invested £20,000 (approximately $31,000) in Stand Tall, a play that takes an anti-bullying stand.
“I have always been one to go to every show I can and I’m really hoping that this will change some of the lives in the audience. If one child watches it and feels able to tell their parents or teachers about bullying, this will be the best lottery money I could ever have spent,” Watson told daily newspaper The Guardian. “I spoke to my bank manager about investing in Stand Tall and he explained the risks, but I decided to take it into my own hands.”
In 2005, Watson won £2.3 million (around $3.6 million) after he grandfather purchased her the winning ticket. Not so lucky prior to that, she had been the victim of bullying during her formative years and now wants to help young children who hear insults and taunts every day. 
“I was just the wrong face in the crowd. I was shy and they made fun of me for living in a council house, for my weight, my height, my hair color – everything,” she recalled. “They picked on me every day for five years and I hated going to school so much that I would make myself physically sick. One day I just ran home crying into my mother’s arms and she contacted the school. It took years for me to recover.”
For more information on Stand Tall, click here
