The winning MAXMILLIONS ticket. (Photo/Rosi Ouellette)

People who volunteer regularly do it for the satisfaction of doing good for others but Operation Red Nose Quinte volunteers got an extra and very nice little pre-Christmas gift yesterday (Saturday).

The 50 Red Nose volunteers split a one million dollar MAXMILLIONS prize from Friday’s LOTTO MAX draw.

Several of the volunteers broke into the “happy dance”.

Longtime head of the local Operation Red Nose, Rick Watt, talked to the group last night and said “this just goes to show that sometimes good things do happen to

good people.”

The volunteers in the lottery pool will each receive $20,000.

After purchasing the tickets at Metro and at the store at Petro Canada on Dundas West in Belleville, Watt checked them at Kelly’s Guardian Pharmacy later Saturday.

“When I had my tickets scanned there was a guy standing at the counter and he said that someone won a million dollars in Belleville and he said he hoped he won.

I just looked at him and held up the big ticket and told him not to worry I had the winner. He just looked at me as if I was nuts!”

Watt hopes the OLG will permit a group photo of all 50 winning volunteers in their red vests before the group picks up the one million dollar cheque.