RALEIGH – Lorenzo Williams of Kinston has long dreamed of buying a house for his family and now he can after winning a $100,000 prize in a lottery drawing.

“We’ve been trying to buy a home for about three years now,” he said. “This right here will be a big help for us in getting that home.”

Williams won his big prize in the Season-End Extravaganza Lucke-Rewards drawing on Jan. 3. The drawing had more than 4.2 million entries and awarded three North Carolina lottery players with a $100,000 prize.

When he found out that he won, he could barely contain his excitement.

“I was so excited I got kind of numb,” he recalled.

Williams said the win surprised him, but didn’t come as a shock.

“I just always had a feeling that one day I was going to win the lottery,” he admitted.

He arrived at lottery headquarters to claim his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,500.

“I’m just happy and thankful,” Williams said. “It feels really good.”

For details on how $3.9 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Lenoir County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.