The Thank a Teacher program began in 2016 with a simple but meaningful goal: to thank as many K-12 public school teachers in Virginia as possible leading up to and during National Teacher Appreciation Week each May.
At the beginning of April each year, the public may send a digital or physical Virginia Lottery thank-you note. Each thank-you note includes a unique code that eligible teachers can use to enter a drawing to win $2,500 from the Virginia Lottery and its partners, Brightstar Lottery and NeoPollard Interactive, along with $2,500 in school supplies from The Supply Room.
In 2026, Virginians sent 225,650 thank-you notes to their favorite teachers.
