By Johnny Jackson
jjackson@henryherald.com

Officials with the Georgia Lottery Corporation have announced record profits, totaling more than $429.75 million, for the first half of the 2010 budget year.

The amount state-wide surpassed the previous record set last year by more than $8.49 million.

Since its 1993 inception, the Georgia Lottery has injected millions of dollars of revenue into Henry County, according to lottery officials. They tout the corporation’s auxiliary involvement in funding education to the tune of $11.4 billion state-wide.

Georgia Lottery Spokeswoman Tandi Reddick said nearly $200 million in lottery proceeds have been filtered into Henry County since the lottery began. She said more than $43.7 million has gone toward funding Georgia’s Pre-K Program in Henry County. The program is estimated to have benefited 13,504 students.

“It’s a wonderful program,” said Shirley Young, owner of Discovery Point, a daycare center in McDonough.

Young said 80 students have graduated from the lottery-funded, free tuition program at her daycare center, which opened in 2006. Forty more are expected to graduate in May.

Georgia’s Pre-K Program has grown increasingly popular with parents who want to prepare their children early for the school environment, said Young, adding that her business began accepting Pre-K, waiting-list forms in January, on a first-come, first-served basis.

“It’s just that everybody wants to get their children in, because it’s such a help for the child, and the parent, to get ready for school,” Young said. “It gives them an opportunity to socialize. When they come in, they’re still pretty much babies, and when they leave, they are prepared.”

Adult students and their parents have also benefited from the lottery’s supplemental education funding, noted lottery spokeswoman Reddick.

Reddick said 10,855 university system students from Henry County have received more than $67 million from Georgia’s HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship Program since the lottery began. An additional $16.1 million in HOPE Scholarships has been granted to 8,348 technical college students from Henry County, while 2,487 of the county’s private college and university students have received more than $11.6 million from HOPE.

Henry County also has received $20.6 million for capital outlay and technology initiatives, while its businesses have earned more than $34.3 million in commissions from ticket sales that have resulted in more than $267.5 million in local winnings.

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On the net:

Georgia Lottery:

www.galottery.com