Scott Kolbrenner fulfilled a lifelong dream recently when he appeared on his favorite game show, “Wheel of Fortune.” The fact that he won the show’s grand prize and took home a whopping $145,000 was just icing on the cake.
Having already won the game with a total of $45,000, Kolbrenner went to the bonus round with a chance to take home more cash. He was able to solve the final puzzle — FLOWING WHITE GOWN — and his game piece revealed that he was a grand prize winner of $100,000.
But Kolbrenner wouldn’t be taking home the cash. Instead, he decided to donate his winnings to two local charities in his home of California — Uplift Family Services and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
When Good Morning America's Michael Strahan asked Kolbrenner what prompted his show of gratitude, he cited the COVID-19 pandemic and current economic downturn.
“It’s been a dark time,” Kolbrenner said. "When I went on the show, I was doing it for the fun of it, and I said to my wife ... 'If I do OK here, anything that I get, let's give it to charity. We're very fortunate. Let's see if we can support some others who aren't as fortunate as we are."
Both organizations offered thanks to Kolbrenner’s generosity in Facebook posts last week.
“We are so honored and grateful that Scott chose to play for us while advocating for our agency's Los Angeles-based Hollygrove programs!” Uplift Family Services said.
“It takes the whole community to fight food insecurity and the critical work that we do is possible with the help of people like Scott Kolbrenner,” the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank said in a Facebook post.