Mark Hill personally knows the importance of emergency responders: On two separate occasions, his father’s life was saved by volunteer firefighters.
So when Hill won almost $300 million from the Powerball lottery in 2012, he took the opportunity to pay it forward.
According to CNN affiliate KMBC, the Hill family dedicated a portion of their winnings to build a new facility to house ambulances and fire trucks in their Camden Point, Missouri, community.
“We’re very, very blessed and we don’t take it lightly that we’ve been given this beautiful structure,” Steve Folck of the Camden Point Fire District Board told KMBC.
In addition to being energy efficient, the building has living quarters so it can be staffed at all times.
“How many towns of 500 people have an ambulance service that’s manned 24-7?” Hill points out. “Very few. I’m proud to be part of that.”
In an interview with KMBC, Hill said that if he and his wife could have anonymously built the fire station, “that’s exactly what we would have done.”
But Hill’s efforts to give back will not be kept quiet for much longer.
On July 16, the Camden Point Fire Department will officially dedicate the new fire station, giving the community the perfect opportunity to celebrate Hill’s incredible generosity and humility.
