Donelda MacAskill, 62, was the lucky Ace-catcher in Inverness, N.S. on Saturday night, winning $1.78 million as a result.
But she’s not planning on buying boats, cars, or trips.
Just a tractor and a better way of living for her family.
“I'm going to do the same as I always did,” said MacAskill. “I'm going to run my business. Look after my family. Life isn't changing.”
MacAskill says she still has the cheque that she couldn't wait to show her husband when she got home that night.
“Of course, with social media, the only one that was left for him to tell was my two dogs. Everyone else had heard,” she said.
The mother of three has since been on people’s television screens and computers around the world. Some folks are asking for a photo with her for good luck.
“I look up and there's Donelda MacAskill, standing right in front of me,” said Chase the Ace participant Tom Smith, who met MacAskill at a conference in Antigonish. “It was such a shock because obviously everybody has seen her picture over the last couple of days.”
Organizers say Chase the Ace has left a lasting impact on the small Cape Breton town of 1,500.
"I think it's putting the town back together,” said organizer Cameron MacQuarrie. “That's the best way to describe it."
People stood shoulder to shoulder in the town every Saturday for 48 weeks straight – all with the hopes of hitting it big.
But now, Inverness residents can finally relax.
"They done it as good as they could, eh?” said resident Wesley MacLean. “They couldn't accommodate much more."
In recent years, Inverness dealt with out-migration and industry closures. But MacQuarrie says the town is back on the map.
"To sort of show the world, basically, that this little place on the dot of the map on the western side of Cape Breton has a lot more to offer," he said.
Organizers say they plan on hosting another chase in Inverness in the future. But they say the kind of phenomenon happening again would be like lightning striking twice.
MacAskill says she's not finished playing. She's not interested in winning again, but she’s still interested in helping local programs.
She says she’s buying tickets at two other chases in Cape Breton that will support local fire departments.
The $3 million raised in Inverness will be split between the town’s legion and the Inverness Cottage Workshop.
But Macquarrie says the benefits will last long after the money is spent.
"I think the community now knows that it can do whatever it wants to do," he said.
The town will hold a celebration in the coming weeks.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh and Ryan MacDonald.
