A West Central Neighborhood leader says his life won’t be altered much by his recent lottery win that will give him $1,000 a week for the rest of his life.

Kelly Cruz, 53, was with his father on New Year’s Eve at Safeway on Northwest Boulevard to buy milk and bread when he decided to join his father in buying lottery tickets. Cruz chose a “Lucky for Life” scratch ticket because it’s a game his brother often plays.

Last year, Cruz, a carpenter, made an unsuccessful run for City Council. He lives with his father, a retired electrician, in the home his father built.

With the money, he plans to buy a lifetime membership in the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and probably will give to more causes. But he doesn’t plan to move or make major changes in his life. Cruz said he hasn’t been working much as a carpenter lately because of his father’s health problems.

“I’ll be able to help out some charities I’m involved in,” he said.

Cruz said the money also could assist him if he runs for office again. He is the former chairman of the West Central Neighborhood Council.

He remains active in a West Central Coalition effort to reduce underage drinking. The coalition, which includes several nonprofit groups, won a $6,500 grant last year to partner with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies to study alcohol purchases and to conduct compliance checks at liquor retailers west of Division Street between the Spokane River and Wellesley Avenue.

---

---