Gov. Beshear Launches ‘Shot at a Million’ Vaccine Incentive Drawing

Governor also provides more than $38 million of the state’s federal funds to sustain emergency rental assistance programs in Louisville and Lexington

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 4, 2021) – On Friday, Gov. Andy Beshear invited Kentuckians to get a COVID-19 vaccine and enter for a Shot at a Million – the state’s new vaccine incentive drawing.

“This is a lifesaving and now possibly life-changing opportunity,” said Gov. Beshear. “You can get your shot of hope and then enter for a shot at $1 million or a shot at one of 15 full scholarships – both protecting you from this deadly virus and possibly transforming your future.”

The Governor announced two types of drawings that permanent residents of Kentucky can enter to win, at shotatamillion.ky.gov, if they have received at least the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

1. $1 million: Kentuckians 18 years old and older who have received at least their first dose of a Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, may enter to win one of three $1 million drawings.
    
2. Full Scholarship: Kentuckians 12 to 17 years old who have received at least their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may enter to win one of 15 full scholarships to a Kentucky public college, university, technical or trade school, which includes tuition, room-and-board and books.

“This initiative underscores two critical points in our state’s recovery: higher education matters and so does health and safety,” said Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education President Aaron Thompson, who joined Gov. Beshear in the Capitol Rotunda for the announcement. “If we want to take advantage of the pent up demand in our economy, now is the time to get vaccinated and trained up for the next generation of jobs. I want to thank Gov. Beshear for advancing both of these priorities.”

Prizes and Important Drawing Information
Entry begins Friday, June 4, 2021. The last day to enter each drawing is listed below along with drawing and announcement dates.

Only one entry per person will be accepted, and each entry is eligible for all future drawings. However, winners will be removed from eligibility for future drawings.

Entering Shot at a Million Drawing
Visit shotatamillion.ky.gov. Entry requires Kentuckians to provide personal and contact information, including: name, birth date, email address, phone number, home address and the name and location of the place that provided you with the vaccine. Entry also requires agreement to the official rules of the drawing and agreement to allow the Kentucky Department for Public Health to verify your vaccination information. The website also offers information about eligibility, how to find a vaccine appointment, frequently asked questions and official rules.

Make a Vaccine Appointment
To see all vaccination sites and free transportation options to and from vaccination appointments, visit vaccine.ky.gov. To see a list of vaccination sites that have openings, visit vaccinemap.ky.gov. If Kentuckians have questions, they should call the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline, 855-598-2246 or TTY 855-326-4654 (for deaf or hard-of-hearing Kentuckians). Kentuckians can text their zip code to GETVAX (438829) to receive three vaccine locations near them. Text VACUNA (822862) for Spanish. For detailed information on COVID-19 vaccinations and more, visit kycovid19.ky.gov.

Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund
On Friday, the Governor also announced he is directing a portion of the state’s federal funds for emergency rental assistance to the cities of Louisville and Lexington to continue their programs and ensure more Kentuckians harmed financially by the pandemic receive assistance with rent and utilities.

The Governor said the federal funding formula gave Louisville and Lexington, which had their own eviction relief programs, fewer funds than anticipated. The mayors of both cities recently asked the Governor to consider allocating a portion of the commonwealth’s funds to keep their local programs going.

The Governor presented Jeff O’Brien, director of Develop Louisville, with a check for $27 million of federal funds from the commonwealth for the city’s local program. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton also accepted an $11.7 million check from the Governor for the city’s program.

“This is part of our ongoing effort to help as many Kentuckians as possible with eviction and utility relief – landlords, tenants and utility companies,” said Gov. Beshear. “This funding represents more of the Team Kentucky spirit as we continue our strong partnership between Louisville, Lexington and the commonwealth by working together to ensure that the needs of Kentuckians are met and we can help those impacted by the pandemic.”

“Thanks to Gov. Beshear, we will now have the additional dollars we need to continue to prevent evictions in our community,” Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said. “With these funds, we will be able to help many citizens through their immediate crisis and beyond.”

“I am proud that our team at Louisville Metro Government has helped more than 23,000 residents facing a pandemic-related loss of income remain housed,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Thank you to Gov. Beshear and Team Kentucky for this additional funding that will go a long way toward ensuring our residents have a safe and dry place to sleep at night.”

Under the federal emergency rental assistance program that passed Congress in late December 2020, the cities of Louisville and Lexington applied for direct funding from the federal government for their own local rent and utility assistance programs. Louisville received about $22.8 million and Lexington received about $9.6 million from the federal government for their programs.

The commonwealth received an allocation of $264 million in federal funds for the emergency rental assistance program. With this, the Beshear administration launched the Team Kentucky Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund (HHERF) on February 15, 2021 and, working with partners, has processed over $18 million to landlords and utilities across Kentucky on behalf of 2,800 renter households.

The state’s HHERF must obligate all funds by Sept. 30, 2025. For more information visit, https://teamkyhherf.ky.gov/.

###