Even Nebraska lottery winners are level-headed folk

Keep a level head and you'll do well.

It has served folks like football legend Tom Osborne, investment icon Warren Buffett and numerous other Nebraska leaders very well over the years.

Even when it comes to behaviour many of us view as foolish -- playing the lottery -- Nebraskans tend toward level-headedness.

A group of ConAgra workers who won $365 million Powerball jackpot in 2006 are a good example -- going about their lives for the most part, albeit with nicer homes, cars and vacations and fewer, or at least different kinds of money worries.

Most of the Nebraska winners have followed Buffett's lead, investing their windfall responsibly.

While they've no doubt learned to deal with the onslaught of charity request as well as not-so-charitable requests for their winnings, at least one has not become jaded to the needs of others.

The Siena Francis House in Omaha is proof.

Alain Mahousou, one of the 2006 lottery winners, sent a $25,000 check to the homeless shelter, which issued 600 $40 gift cards to Siena Francis guests.

"I was in tears, I couldn't be more grateful," said Brooke Vacanti, one of the guests. "I didn't think I was going to be able to get my son Caden anything for his birthday, so when I found out this morning that I came into this money from Siena Francis I was overjoyed; I can't even explain the feeling, really," said Vacanti.