Leah Alderman of Cumberland had 30,000 reasons to be thankful this weekend after winning $30,000 on a Ruby Riches scratch-off! |
Cumberland woman credits memory of late grandmother for Lottery luck
Holidays are a time to gather with family members and a time to remember those who no longer fill the chairs at the Thanksgiving table. Her late Grandma Ruby, who is in the thoughts of Cumberland resident Leah Alderman this time of year, inspired her purchase of a $3 Ruby Riches instant ticket that delivered the game’s $30,000 top prize!
“I was shaking when I signed the ticket,” Leah said. “This is awesome!”
Her Grandma Ruby died when Leah was a teen. The two were very close and lived just a quick stroll away, which enabled Leah to spend many days sharing stories and caring for her aging grandmother. Last week, Leah spotted the Ruby Riches game at her local Maryland Lottery retailer and nabbed one to play later.
She rushed home from Pit ‘n’ Go in Cumberland to start her Thanksgiving meal preparation and set the scratch-off aside. Later, while taking a break from peeling potatoes, the 34-year-old fished out her scratch-off and sat down to play it. The Allegany County resident revealed a line of winning numbers that might have made Grandma Ruby smile because it meant the lucky lady won $30,000!
Leah grabbed her phone and pulled up the Maryland Lottery app to verify that her scratch-off was indeed a winner.
“I must have scanned it on my phone 15 times,” Leah said. “I thought it wasn’t real.”
Leah and her fiancé have spent several years restoring a house to turn it into the home of their dreams. The fixer-uppers plan to use Leah’s prize to pay bills and expenses related to their ongoing project and might make another dream a reality – getting married! They’ve been engaged for several years but lacked the funds to make the celebration they imagined a reality.
Her lucky Lottery retailer, Pit ‘n’ Go, is located at 361 Frederick Street in Cumberland. For selling a top-prize scratch-off in the game, the store earns a Lottery bonus of $300 – equal to 1 percent of the prize.