The Powerball has soared to more than $1.8 billion this week. While it may be fun to think about how you could spend the money, a large portion of ticket sales is already being used for good here in Tennessee.

According to the Tennessee Lottery , more than $8 billion has been allocated to education programs since 2004, when ticket sales first began in the Volunteer State. 2.2 million scholarships and grants have been awarded with the money brought in, and more than 1,000 after-school programs for K-12 have been funded.

"I'm happy that they actually put a portion of it to education, especially because I think Tennessee has a low spending per student," said Leanora Brown, a resident in Chattanooga.

"All the money that we can put towards education is great," said Caitlyn Sweat, another

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