Lottery winner helps special-needs children

When most people win the lottery they find themselves in a position to retire from work and do what they want when they want, however one lottery winner helps special-needs children in his local community by giving out gifts and paying for schools to take children on holidays.

Barry Chuwen, 39, from Newton Mearns in Scotland is not your average lottery winner. He won the National Lottery jackpot back in 1997 but the selfless lottery winner isn’t sat on a tropical island looking after just himself and his family. After a family tragedy four years ago Barry founded the Teddy Bear Foundation.

In 2005 Barry’s wife Jenny lost a baby when she was six months pregnant because of the rare chromosomal condition known as Edwards Syndrome. Barry asked doctors if there was some treatment in America that would save his unborn son but they said that there wasn’t. Even with all of his lottery winnings there was nothing that Barry could do to save his unborn child. After a feeling of helplessness, Barry and his wife decided to start a charity to help special-needs children when a local authority or social services do not have the funds to help out.

Using his business skills, Barry quickly organised a charity golfing event at Turnberry that raised over £70,000 in a day. From that simple start, the Teddy Bear Foundation has quickly grown into one of the most dynamic charities in Scotland with just under £400,000 being distributed to schools and organisations which help children with special needs so far.

So often we hear lottery news stories of winners blowing their money or ending up in trouble one way or another through the burden of winning a lottery jackpot so it’s refreshing to hear of this generous lottery winner who helps others. Remember that every time you buy tickets for the National Lottery you too are helping needy causes through the National Lottery’s Good Causes fund.