Iowa PowerBall Winner Appears On ‘Ellen’

51-year-old Lerynne West, a single mother of three from Redfield, Iowa, appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday, just a few weeks after claiming a $343 million Powerball jackpot.

Spoken like a true Iowan, Lerynne gave a nod to Casey's General Store, where she bought the winning ticket (and a slice of pizza, of course). She also admitted to initially losing the ticket before her sister found it on the floor of her truck.

Lerynne announced her plans to use some of the money for philanthropic work. She's launched The Callum Foundation, named in honor of her late grandson. Lerynne told Ellen, "I thought I had a responsibility to do good for other people and to help other people out, as well."

Lerynne also revealed that her father and three brothers each served in the military, which led her to donate a half-million dollars to the Travis Mills Foundation, a charity that supports wounded veterans:

"It’s very important to me that we never forget the sacrifices that our soldiers and their families make for our country. So today I would like to make a commitment to giving the Travis Mills Foundation a check for $500,000."

Lerynne seems like such a genuine, caring person--exactly the type of person you'd want to see win the lottery. "Iowa nice" personified. Congratulations, and keep up the good work!