Practitioner of visualization and meditation techniques won $112 million
As twists of fate go, Cynthia Stafford has been dealt some doozies.
In 1999, Stafford's younger brother was killed in a car accident, and the state of California placed his five children in foster care. Cynthia would have none of that: She applied for?full custody of her nieces and nephews, ages 3 to 10, and though the state initially fought her, Stafford prevailed and became an instant mother to five children — a full-time job that left her no choice but to leave her position as a consultant in order to dedicate her life to raising them.
Simply to survive, she knew she needed help. So she applied to a variety of social service agencies and nonprofits. And yet, even while she was a full-time mom, Stafford kept her eye on bigger things — including her goal of always helping charities at the same time that they were helping her.
As far-fetched as it may seem to many, Stafford had long been an active practitioner of?visualization and meditation techniques in her personal life, and she set her sights on a better life. She set her sights on winning?a very specific amount of money in the lottery. Enough money to support her family along with any charity she could ever dream of supporting. The dollar amount, she says? $112 million.
It took only four months. In May of 2007, the Los Angeles resident bought a two-dollar ticket in the California Mega Millions lottery with her father and brother. They won her dream amount — $112 million — and together decided to take the cash payout of $67 million and split the money. When her winning numbers came in, everyone she knew was surprised except her. After all, Stafford knew what she was going to do with the winnings.
"I wanted to help the same charities I'd already been donating to," she tells Tonic. "I picked each charity because I believe deeply in their missions, goals and forward-thinking initiatives, and all have causes which are near and dear to my heart." They include UNICEF and Kids in the Spotlight, which teaches inner city and foster kids how to tell their stories through film, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. She also donated $1 million to the Geffen Playhouse to fund a program designed to expose children to the arts.
All in all, she quickly became known as one of California's top philanthropists.
Sheer dollars aside, her giving was nothing new. Stafford's charitable streak runs deep. When she was just five years old, Stafford started to donate her allowance to UNICEF. "It might not have been enough to end world hunger, but my mother always taught me that there is more joy in giving than in receiving," she says.
Eye on the Prize
Over in her professional life, there's no grass growing under Stafford's feet, either. After her lottery win, she launched Queen Nefertari Productions — determined to seek out projects and stories to be made into movies that inspire people. Her first step as newly-minted movie producer was to option Don DeLillo's novel White Noise, but she says she will continue to give money to charities regardless of whether a movie turns a profit, or loss. "I'll continue to give as I always have, when my spirit moves me," she says. "I would never want box office receipts to determine the amount I give, since giving should come from the heart. I can be certain, however, that the more I make, the more I intend to give."
It's obvious that no matter which direction Stafford heads in, there's no slowing down, especially when she sees first-hand the effects that her gifts have on people. She recalls the time a group of juvenile detainees had been brought to see a play at The Geffen Playhouse as part of the education outreach program she'd funded. "A group of girls approached me after the show and tearfully thanked me for making it possible," she remembers. "None of them had ever seen live theater before, and they had no idea what it was like. They were so inspired! I could tell that their lives had forever been changed."
Don't Wait
While Stafford wouldn't necessarily advise wanna-be philanthropists to rely on a winning Pick Six ticket to fund their charitable ways, she does have a slew of suggestions for people who want to follow in her footsteps.
"If you want to do good for others, start now," she says. "Don't wait for the perfect time, because it doesn't exist. Don't wait until you have a certain amount of money in the bank, because giving back is not all about money. You can always give of yourself, your time, your services, your energy, and your talents. Whatever you have that you have been blessed with, use it to be a blessing to someone else. Don't hold back because it will return to you. As you give so shall you receive ... tenfold."
(Click to display in gallery)
(Click to display in gallery)
Inspiring...!
She is inspiring, may God bless her for all that she is doing for others!!!!!
saw her story on the lottery show, how the lottery changed my life.
".....As far-fetched as it may seem to many, Stafford had long been an active practitioner of visualization and meditation techniques in her personal life, and she set her sights on a better life. She set her sights on winning a very specific amount of money in the lottery."
She's one determined and dedicated woman .... huge congratulations to her for all she's achieved. She's living proof what you hold in your mind and work toward creates reality.
Mrs. Stafford seems to be a very loving and generous person. It is a very inspiring article indeed.
Now thats some practitioner of visualization and meditation techniques.
I wish I could visualize friday nights mega millions jackpot winning numbers
hahaha that would be nice.
This is a story of true charity and how individuals should have the choice of how they share the wealth!
Should I be fortunate enough to win a large sum of money in the lottery ... I will donate to worthy causes as I deem that any donation will have the biggest possible impact.
Great article!
Book recommendation: "Spontaneous Healing of Belief: Shattering the Paradigm of False Limits" by Gregg Braden.
Beautiful story!
And yes Rick G, I have most of Gregg Braden's books and he's terrific...
I read about her a while back...it is what keeps me playing and hoping.
Wonderful story & Lady.
She seems like a good hearted lady.
The only thing I would have done different is the direction. Arts, Schmartz. Kids don't need Arts so they can turn out like Mapplethorpe and Sean Penn and Al Franken and all those other freaks of nature.
I would have gotten them into nature and hunting and shooting and fishing and survival and learning how to grow their own food and such. We don't need more people putting crucifixes in vials of urine or pictures of Mary with dung splattered on them and calling it "art". Screw art.
It's even more important to learn things that really matter in the current environment in this country and the way we're headed.
The article reads: "She set her sights on winning a very specific amount of money in the lottery. Enough money to support her family along with any charity she could ever dream of supporting. The dollar amount, she says? $112 million...It took only four months. In May of 2007, the Los Angeles resident bought a two-dollar ticket in the California Mega Millions lottery with her father and brother. They won her dream amount — $112 million — and together decided to take the cash payout of $67 million and split the money. When her winning numbers came in, everyone she knew was surprised except her."
Congratulations! I've wanted to use visualization; but once the drawings start rolling over a few times, the exact amount of the published annuitized jackpot prize isn't predictable, is it? I wonder what would have happened if she had been spending time picturing $111 Million ... probably not a vision that would be in required allignment/vibration with the universe in order to bring a win for a $112 Million jackpot to her.
Does anyone know if her immediate family's $2 Mega Millions ticket was a quick pick?
I have a worthy cause. The leukemia and lymphoma society is a non-profit agency that aids victims and familys of victims of these terrible diseases. When my brother was dying, they helped with his care and transportation to and from his treatments. This allowed my to work and gave us hope. These people do great things and are first on my donation list.
april 1st got to love it
, so congrats tods on fooling them all
this april fools post was made of greatness
so many good laughs in it like this one:
"Don't hold back because it will return to you. As you give so shall you receive ... tenfold."
hahahaha
"SoCal family claims $112M Mega Millions lottery jackpot
May 19, 2007, 10:22 a.m.
Robert Stafford and his adult children, Robert Jr. and Cynthia, said they bought a $2 quick-pick ticket from a Hawthorne market for Friday night's drawing.
Their purchase became the fifth winning Mega Millions ticket sold in California.
"I'm just so excited, I'm happy. It's a dream come true," Cynthia Stafford said with a wide smile and a giggle.
The family chose to take a cash prize of approximately $67 million and split it, California Lottery officials said.
Cynthia Stafford said she planned to use some of the money to start college funds for four nieces and nephews she adopted after her youngest brother was killed in a car accident.
"I'm going to put it to good use," she said.
The winning numbers were 28, 30, 33, 48, and 54. The Mega Ball number was 25."
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/156261
I've heard of visualizing before. I read about a woman who needed exactly $1640 to pay for rent and a bill. She went to a visual class and did exactly that.
Two weeks later, she got a check for $1640 from a mutual fund's interest.
I've tried it (lottery-wise) but I'm not consistant. I never know if I should ask for more so I can donate more or just less because it seems the more you get, the more trouble it is. I keep thinking God is the only one who knows what's best for me, so whatever He blesses me with is what I'll be happy with. So, at this point, that's what I'm sticking with.
I am an artist (illustrator actually) and plan to apply for Dreamworks Animations this summer. I am really offended by that typical hick statement.
And some people are really offended by you "artists" putting their highly venerated religious symbols in urine and feces and calling it art.
Show some cojones next time and do it with Muslim relics instead of Christian. They don't turn the other cheek though, do they?
Years ago there was an LP member who said something similar who said that if you can medidate you can get the winning numbers...Such belief you could say they work: 50% because such a belief is under the assumption that God/Jesus created us in Eden and that he placed something important in our minds...Not trying to be cruel to God i believe God created the Universe but such a belief is saying that we didnt evolved from monkeys so that´s my problem with visualization...However strange things happens in this world...Like UFO´s...
Something similar that i do think might be true and i am very curious about is the belief that the mind like when someone is sleeping can be altered through hypnosis but the person not having concious awareness of it and somehow influencing a person to win the lottery...
I dont think we should discard such theories because how do you know if a particular smell doesnt affect the brain pre-conscious...Remember the story about a mosquito flapping its wings in China and affecting tornadoes in Kansas...And the person that came up with such a statement knew higher levels of mathematics stuff you and i dont know if we could achieve it...
You know fractals which is similar to how our world and the complex Earth world behaves doesnt have more than: 50 years that it was invented is just a new kind of mathematics, there is few research into it worldwide, and is a complex level of mathematics that few people venture to or get to understand...
Also the idea of visualization implies that the concious mind have power or guides the pre-concious mind just at will which i dont know if is true...
You know something happened to me with the number i think it was: 1125 or 1126 or 1127 or 1225 or 1226 or 1227...Totally unexplainable...
Also nobody has amplified brain waves and studied them...We dont know if the brain when sleeping pays attention to colors...Nobody has made an algorithm of how the brain or cells work...There are computer programmers who have written state of the art viruses or worms yet NONE of them care to interpret it mathematically again just another example that people take classes or math but realy dont understand them and computer codes and links are mathematical in nature...
Again there is a TON of stuff that have not been researched and we dont know, i am not talking researched it once but hundreds of times...
Don't confuse idiots who claim to be artist with actual artists. There is plenty of great art out there that doesn't have anything to do with some moron putting his rear in paint and sitting on a canvas. The stuff you are offended by is not art, it is garbage and why these people get attention is beyond me...there are a lot of great soulful people who are artists...lumping artist in with attention getting talentless hacks doesn't help real artists.
The National Endowment for The Arts apparently considered Robert Mapplethorpe a real artist because he was supported by our tax dollars.
The fact of the matter is you can call a Kleenex full of snot "Art" if you want and liberals will clamor to see it. That's all well and good if you're into that kind of thing but I draw the line when my tax dollars have to pay these "artists" for their efforts.
Create your art but just don't make me pay for it.
I don't like it. I don't need it. I don't want it.
^
I don't know what they were thinking...and I for one don't want my money supporting these types of people...I agree with you. The art world has been filled with scam artists...no pun intended...but not all artists are the same. I don't like it when government pays for art, art education is fine but they shouldn't support artists.
I do get where you are coming from, hope you understand my view as well.
I don't know about visulizing the numbers but i know about visualization- seeing yourself achieving a goal, achievement. I am a reader, I'll have to check out this book by Braden. I love Deepak chopar, Randy Pausch, the true - last lecturer.
She's correct about giving now, money, time, etc. and not waiting for a large winfall. My mom taught me that, and i've volunterred for child abuse shelter and crisis, etc.
She's done an awesome job exposing children to things they may have never seen right in their home town. Makes me think about our class outings in elementary school and middle school to see the nutcracker and my fair lady.
Great Story!!!!! God bless her.
Absolutely.
I was with her up to the part about visualizing exactly $112 million. Okay, sure. Was that before or after taxes?
Does that mean all the visualize to win folks were not worthy or were not visualizing intensely enough?
Not that she doesn't deserve a break like this, but...seriously.
U should ignore rdgrnr. I figured out he was a dumbass a long time ago.
Also this lady should be careful she does not give too much of her money away. She has already split it with her brother and father now she is giving a lot of it away.
Somebody from arkansas (
) doesn't like me.
Jeez, I hope I can sleep tonight after hearing that.
Pffffffftt!