After one conversation with Lucille Worrell, the 27-year-old who recently won US$1 million in LIME's 2008 Christmas promotion, her good-naturedness and genuine charm become apparent.

The Caribbean's newest millionaire is a hard-working, single mother who says her first priority is to give back to her family and her community and insists that her new-found wealth won't change her "down-to-earth" personality.

"My goal is not to change," she said. "I'm a very down-to-earth person and I'm very easy-going. My financial status is going to change but not my personality. I hope and pray that I remain the same."

Staying grounded is important to Worrell, who says her focus is on home ownership and planning for her young son's education.

"I have a two-year-old son and the most important thing is his education, so I'm going to put money aside for that and then, since I don't have my own home, I'm going to invest in a house," she says.

Luxurious vacation

And with her windfall, Worrell also plans to fulfil a long-standing dream and treat her mother to a luxurious vacation.

"My mom has been so good to me over the years and I've never been able to treat her to a vacation. So, I'm going to send her on a cruise so she can just relax," Worrell said, her voice brimming with excitement.

As a special treat for herself, her first significant purchase was a brand-new Suzuki Vitara. The purchase was particularly sweet, as prior to her big win, she had not been able to find a vehicle she could afford.

"I was looking for something but couldn't get anything in my budget and then all of a sudden I was able to buy something really nice," she explained.

Another previously distant dream that might soon become a reality for Worrell is pursuing tertiary education.

"I've always been interested in business management so I think I'm going to pursue my studies in that field. But I plan to go to the local university because I don't want to leave my son," she says.

Community development

Worrell's community, Fondcole, which is just outside the Dominican capital, Roseau, is also high on her agenda.

"We don't have things like a basketball court or a sports field and a lot of our young people are idle and really and truly I hate to see that," she said. "I am thinking about how I could help and hoping I might be able to do something in colla-boration with the Government."

While she is looking to upgrade her skills in the future, Worrell says she has no plans to quit her job at Western Union, where she started as a front-line associate and was recently promoted to supervisor.

"I'm going to keep my job," she said, laughing. "I really think I have an obligation to the company that hired me and allowed me to pay my bill to LIME so that I could win what I have now."