Struggling mom anonymously donated money she won from lottery

mom donated money lottery anonymously

By Veronica Chan , Parent Herald Jul 24, 10:02 pm

Struggling mom, Shetara Sims, won $100 from the lottery, but even though she struggled financially, she anonymously donated it. She gave it all to a police officer who got wounded in the line of duty.

Mom gave her all

Sims is among the Americans affected by the furloughs and layoffs due to the coronavirus. The Kansas City, Missouri, resident said that she had only $7 left in her pocket when she found a dollar bill in the parking lot of a grocery store. She bought a lottery ticket using that money where she won $100.

Rakiya Edmonson, Sims' 12-year-old daughter, suggested what's best to do with the money. Rather than keeping it to themselves, Rakiya asked her mom to donate it to the family of a police officer in Kansas City. She wants to help him because the officer got shot while he was on duty.

Struggling mom donated money she won on lottery anonymously

(Photo : unsplash/Waldemar Brandt)

Repaying the kindness of officers

The unfortunate incident that happened to the officer reminds Sims of her experience. In 2012, Sims' eldest daughter, sister of Rakiya, was killed, according to CNN affiliate KMBC.

The detectives who worked on Sims' daughter's case became the family's much needed support. Sims said that the detectives were there for their family. She also shared that they did things they did not have to. She added that the team was there for them more than anyone could imagine.

Anonymous donation

Sims decided to donate the lottery money to repay the officers who gave hope to her family. On July 10, she called the police department to donate $100 without leaving her name and phone number.

Soon, news of her generosity spread throughout the local police precincts. Then it further spread to the wider community. Officers were hoping to find her to repay her kindness. After days of tracking down the secret donor, they finally found her.

Kansas City Police Department Sgt. Jake Becchina expressed how grateful they were. He said that hearing Sims' thanks was very impactful and touching to them.

Officers to repay Sims

The officers started a GoFundMe page after finding out who donated the money. After hearing Sims' story, hundreds of people had reached out to help. As of writing, it has already raised $118,000.

Becchina said that kindness from people like Sims helps motivate officers to do their job well. The mother and daughter have since met with the colleagues of the officer who got shot. The wounded officer was still confined in the hospital.