Man donates $145,000 ‘Wheel of Fortune’ prize to charities

• Scott Kolbrenner joined Wheel of Fortune “for the fun of it.”
• Before joining, though, he had already decided that he’d donate however much he’d get.
• Just as he promised, he gave the entire $145,000 prize away to charities!

Perhaps if there’s a greater purpose behind our dream, there could be a higher chance that we could reach it.

This might offer an insight into how a long-time Wheel of Fortune fan, who wanted to join the game and donate however much he gets, won the game bigtime.

Even before joining, Scott Kolbrenner of Encino, California already had an end in mind — he will donate the entire prize earnings to charity. And he did exactly just that when he played in the game show and won $145,000!

“When I went on the show, I was doing it for the fun of it,” Scott told Good Morning America. “I said to my wife… ‘…Anything that I get, let’s give it to charity. We’re very fortunate. Let’s see if we can support some others who aren’t as fortunate as we are.”

Throughout the entire show, which aired on March 18, 2021, the wheel’s luck was evidently working in favor of Scott. He scored a $3,500 wedge, landed next on the Express Wedge, and doubled up another winning answer. His momentum kept on building, leading to a total of $45,000 that aced out other contestants.

In the ‘What are you wearing?” category, Scott chose P, H, G, and O at solving the grand puzzle, which left only six hidden letters. Scott immediately gave the correct answer, “Flowing white gown,” within the 10-second timer.

Pat Sajack revealed the bonus prize, amounting to $100,000, making Scott’s take-home prize a total of $145,000. This was the fifth-biggest win in Wheel’s 46-year history.

Just as he promised, Scott committed the entire prize to two local charities he’s long been affiliated with: Uplift Family Services, a comprehensive behavioral health treatment provider (of which he is a board member), and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, whose outreach supports thousands of California families facing food insecurity.

“While I hoped I would do okay, I never thought that anything like this could happen,” Scott told Yahoo News. “I got lucky that day and knew right away that I wanted to share my good fortune. The fun and memories from the day will stay with me forever, but the urgent need in our community cannot wait.”

In a statement from Uplift Family Services, Scott said that “his ‘good fortune’ came long before he ever spun the Wheel, having grown up an intact, secure family where he never had to worry about his next meal or for his safety.”

Scott is grateful for his grandfather who instilled the values of “charity and civic duty as a critical part of life.”

Source: Good News Network