Georgia Lottery President & CEO made a stop at Columbus Technical College this afternoon. Margaret DeFrancisco had a meet and greet with CTC students who are all recipients of the “Hope Scholarship.” More than 70 percent of the student body at CTC receives money from the Hope Scholarship which is funded by the Georgia Lottery. Hope money covers student’s tuition, fees, and books. And since its inception in 1993 the Georgia Lottery has earned more than 10-Billion dollars, and 4-and-a half Billion has been given to students in the state. Many students expressed their thanks while talking with the Lottery President. Lorraine Cobb/Student CTC said, “This allows me the opportunity to go to school at a reduced cost. And the only thing that I really have to pay for is my books. So I don’t have to worry about taking out a student loan or anything of that nature, and it’s a great program.”Georgia Lottery President/CEO, Margaret DeFrancisco added, “People who buy a lottery ticket and either scratch it off or wait for a drawing, part of that money, whatever money that they spend, part of that money goes to the Hope and Pre-Kindergarten Program. It’s been a remarkable 15 years over 10.3 Billion dollars.” In the last year, Georgia Lottery sales totaled three-and-a-half billion dollars and 867 million has gone towards education. The program also gives scholarships for pre-kindergarteners as well as adults. For more information about the Hope Scholarship, log on to www.GAcollege411.org.