The Illinois Lottery offers a new scratch-off instant ticket—and there’s a winner every time. That’s because 100% of the profits go to fight the state’s HIV epidemic. So even if you don’t score a stack of cash, you’re raising funds for a winning cause.
The annual Red Ribbon Cash ticket launched in 2008. Since then, sales have raised more than $8 million for HIV prevention, education and treatment, reports WREX.com.
This year, the money raised from the $3 tickets will go to the recently launched “Getting to Zero Illinois” initiative (GTZ-IL) to end the state’s HIV epidemic by 2030. Specifically, the goals are to see zero new HIV transmissions and to have zero people living with HIV who are not getting treatment. (You can read more about Illinois’s Getting to Zero initiative here and the lottery’s fundraising effort here.)
“Continuing to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS research and services is critical to our newly launched Getting to Zero Illinois Plan,” Illinois Department of Public Health director Ngozi Ezike, MD, said to WREX. “Serving the needs of our diverse communities is a priority when it comes to reducing the risks of HIV/AIDS transmission, and we want to thank the Illinois Lottery for its commitment to making Illinois a healthier state.”
According to the state health department, Illinois ranks in the top 10 states with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS.
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