First, Third Congressional District NEST $529 Read to Win Summer Reading Winners Recognized at Capitol

Treasurer Don Stenberg and First National Bank of Omaha presented $529 NEST college savings scholarships today to 10 young people, ages 6 to 16, from the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts in the NEST Read to Win $529 Drawing, sponsored by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust, First National Bank of Omaha, and the Nebraska Library Commission.

The Lincoln City Libraries received a check for $1,250 in the ceremony in the State Capitol Rotunda.

More than 20,000 children and teens were entered in the drawing after completing summer reading programs at their local libraries across the state. Five winners were selected in a random drawing from each of Nebraska’s three U.S. Congressional districts. Each was awarded $529 in a NEST 529 College Savings account, and their respective libraries received $250 each.

First National Bank of Omaha, program manager for NEST, provided the scholarship contributions and the donations to the libraries.

The 10 winners from the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts were recognized today in the ceremony in the Capitol. Winners from the 2nd Congressional District were recognized Oct. 21 at the Millard Branch of the Omaha Public Library.

Winners from the 1st and 3rd Congressional District are

  • Erica Rose Guenther, 12, Lincoln
  • Kayla Truong, 6, Lincoln
  • Earl Richardson, 14, Lincoln
  • Andre Honz, 11, Lincoln
  • Ginae Duncan, 16, Lincoln
  • Justine Bierman, 8, Hastings
  • Sarah Fenton, 10, Pierce
  • Makira Smith, 8, Beatrice
  • Cori Geiger, 10, Grand Island
  • Wade Ewoldt, 11, Grand Island

Winners from the 2nd Congressional District are

  • Lyvni Andres, 7, Omaha
  • Leo Pechous, 10, Omaha
  • Owen Ryba, 6, Omaha
  • Katelyn Sanne, 7, Omaha
  • Lucia Smith, 8, Omaha

“The Read to Win $529 Drawing was incorporated into the popular summer reading programs in public libraries across Nebraska,” Treasurer Stenberg said. “This was our first year partnering with the Nebraska Library Commission and local libraries to encourage leisure-time reading for children during the summer and to help children and their parents and grandparents learn more about our state-sponsored 529 college savings program.”

“Reading is such a wonderful part of lifelong learning and, for children and teens, preparation for higher education,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director of NEST at First National Bank of Omaha, the NEST program manager. “With this scholarship, we hope children will continue to read and dream for their own futures. And, we hope that families make it a priority to save for those dreams.”

Joining Stenberg and Goodkin at the Rotunda presentation were Rod Wagner, director of the Nebraska Library Commission, and Vicki Wood, youth services supervisor for Lincoln City Libraries.

“For us, this has turned out to be a perfect partnership,” Stenberg said. “We truly hope all these eager summer readers and their parents will start thinking about saving for college and, if they haven’t already, will begin exploring the plans available through the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust called NEST.”

An avid reader, Stenberg said he read books checked out from his hometown Carnegie library in Tekamah, Neb., as a young child and later bought books through his school.

“My father took my brother and me to the library on Saturday evenings to check out books for the week. While I didn’t have a favorite author or a favorite book series, I looked for books written about my childhood interests – sports, space exploration, and World War II,” he said. “I am sure many of the adults here also have found memories of summers and evenings exploring the shelves of their local libraries and even more memories of taking their own children to their neighborhood libraries.”

About First National Bank of Omaha

First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska and its affiliates have more than $23 billion in assets and 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.

About NEST

NEST is a tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan and provides four plans to help make saving for college simple and affordable: NEST Direct College Savings Plan, the NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, the Bloomwell 529 Education Savings Plan, and the State Farm 529 Savings Plan. The Nebraska State Treasurer serves as Program Trustee. Union Bank & Trust Company serves as Program Manager, and all investments are approved by the Nebraska Investment Council. Families nationwide are saving for college using Nebraska’s 529 College Savings Plans, which have more than 285,000 accounts, including over 94,000 in Nebraska. Visit NEST529.com and treasurer.nebraska.gov for more information.

Investments Are Not FDIC Insured* · No Bank, State or Federal Guarantee · May Lose Value
*Except the Bank Savings Static Investment Option Underlying Investment
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