Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- The Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services is collecting back to school supplies for children in need who live in Gwinnett County.

The coalition is looking for donations of the following new items:

-- book bags

-- wide ruled loose leaf notebook paper

-- pocket folders with brads

-- composition books

-- 1" and 2" binders (3 ring)

-- dry erase markers

-- colored pencils/markers/crayons

-- rulers, dictionary, thesaurus

-- No. 2 pencils, pencil cases, erasers

-- pens

-- tabbed dividers

-- glue sticks and Elmer's Glue

-- calculators and scissors

-- hand sanitizer and wipes

-- pencil sharpeners

-- graph paper and thumb drives

To make donations of any of these supplies, call of the following agencies between now and late July: Norcross Co-operative Ministry, 770-263-0013; Overcomers House, 678-575-6608; For My Sisters, 678-887-1218; Family Promise of Gwinnett, 678-376-8950; Streetwise Georgia, 678-985-9915; Trinity Life Church, 678-376-1668; Salvation Army, 770-724-1661; Gwinnett DFCS, 678-575-3864.

For more information, contact the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services at 770-995-3339 or visit www.gwinnettcoalition.org.

Lilburn man wins $250K from Mega Millions

DULUTH -- A father from Gwinnett County has won a quarter of a million dollars from the Georgia Lottery. Akbar Ali of Lilburn won a $250,000 prize from matching the first five winning numbers in the April 20 Mega Millions drawing.

Ali, 42, claimed his prize Tuesday at the Georgia Lottery District Office in Duluth.

"I wanted to take my time and set up a game plan," said Ali, explaining his decision to wait before claiming his prize. The winner and his wife, Anila, have one daughter whom they intend enroll in a private school.

"We will take a short vacation and put the remainder away in savings and retirement," Ali said.

A financial services manager, Ali said he picked three of his own numbers and selected the Quik Pik option for the others.

"I had a bunch of tickets, and I was going through them," he said. "When I saw the ticket, I said, "'Aha!'"

Winning numbers from the April 20 Mega Millions drawing were 14-23-26-33-35 and the Mega Ball was 40.

Gwinnett Gab appears in the Thursday and Sunday editions of the Gwinnett Daily Post. To submit an item to Gwinnett Gab email gab@gwinnettdailypost.com.