From Gene DiGirolamo

I received the following in an e-mail. (You can sign up to get informative e-mails by going to GeneDiGirolamo.com).

Bucks County Senior Citizens Benefit
from PA Lottery Proceeds

Nearly $26 million in proceeds from the Pennsylvania Lottery provided benefits to the senior citizens in Bucks County during the 2007-08 fiscal year, according to a report recently released by the Pennsylvania Departments of Revenue and Aging.

Since 1971 when the Lottery was first created in Pennsylvania, the proceeds have benefited programs specifically geared toward senior citizens. Of those are the 52 Area Agencies on Aging and more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers, the PACE and PACENET prescription drug coverage program, shared and free rides, and the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program.

Locally, seniors in Bucks County benefited from $25.7 million in services. The breakdown includes:

Area Agency on Aging and affiliated senior centers -- $4.6 million.
PACE and PACENET -- $10.85 million.
Shared and Free Ride Program -- $4.1 million.
Property Tax and Rent Rebates -- $6.09 million.
In addition, more than $71 million in lottery prizes were awarded to residents of Bucks County.

The Pennsylvania Lottery is unique in that it remains the only lottery in the nation that exclusively targets all of its proceeds to programs for older residents. Anyone who thinks they may be eligible for PACE, PACENET or the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program should visit my Web site at GeneDiGirolamo.com or contact my district office.