Here at INAMAX, we’re extremely proud of what we call our “Culture of Support.” For us, “Support” means not only taking care of our customers, but giving back to the communities in which they live. A huge part of that is our involvement in the Georgia Lottery HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship and Pre-K programs through coin-operated amusement machine (COAM) contributions.
Just how much of an impact does the Georgia Lottery HOPE and Pre-K make? From a financial standpoint, the program raised an astounding $1.516 billion in fiscal year 2023 to support Georgia students. That represents more than ¼ of the total lottery revenues (which includes coin-operated gaming) for the year.
The HOPE Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship that helps cover a portion of tuition costs at public and private colleges and universities in the state. It makes the dream of attaining a college education attainable for students who might not be in a financial position to do so otherwise. Since 1992, more than 2.1 million students have taken advantage of the more than $14 billion HOPE has provided for secondary education.
As you might imagine, there are many thousands of success stories that come out of HOPE. One of the most compelling is that of Stacey Evans, who was a candidate for governor in 2018 and currently represents the 57th District in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Stacy says that in the 18 years she resided in Ringgold growing up, she lived in 16 homes – most of them trailers – and that her family was always on the verge of financial collapse.
“Because of the HOPE Scholarship,” she says, “I was the first in my family to go to college. There are children all across Georgia where going to college will literally change their lives like it did mine.”
Another important program funded by the Lottery is the Georgia Pre-K program. It’s designed to help 4-year-olds prepare for success in kindergarten and beyond. In 2022, 73,200 children were enrolled in the program – representing more than 55% of the state’s 4-year-olds. As of 2020, the program’s funding amounted to almost $4,500 per student. A 2020 study found that participants in the program were more than twice as likely to meet academic standards on the state’s standardized math test in grades 4-7 than those who did not.
At INAMAX, we believe that a strong education system benefits all of us, whether we have kids or not. These statistics and success stories only further our commitment to the Culture of Support that is one of the foundations of our business. With partners like the Georgia Lottery continuing to expand and improve on its mission to support and bolster Georgia’s students, the future looks bright for all of us.
