‘I want to give back to the community:’ Ajax man pledges following $100,000 lotto win

An Ajax man plans to help out his neighbours with his $100,000 lottery win.

Garry Tola, 36, has played the lottery from time to time since he turned 18, mostly Lotto Max and Lotto 6/49. He picked up his latest ticket from the Petro Canada on Taunton Road in Ajax ahead of the Jan. 30 draw.

I just started adding ENCORE,” he told the OLG when in Toronto to pick up his windfall. “I checked my ticket on the OLG app and when I saw the screen, I didn’t believe it so I scanned it again. I scanned it 13 times.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about a week earlier when my daughter had a dream I won the lottery,” the construction worker continued. “I ran to tell my family right away. They were so happy and excited. My daughter was shocked and said, ‘Dad, my dream felt so special.’ It was a great reminder to her that anything is possible.”

He reports feeling good and a little overwhelmed about his win, saying, “I am thankful. I have a lot I want to do with this money. I want to give back to the community in a meaningful way.” “He also plans to make some investments and celebrate with his family by taking a trip to make memories together,” the OLG wrote

Tola won on an Encore draw, matching six of the seven numbers. Encore can be added to most draw games for $1.