In celebration of College Savings Month, First National Bank of Omaha and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg today announced the 12 winners of the sixth annual "Draw Your Dreams" contest. Each winner will receive a $1,000 contribution to a NEST 529 College Savings Plan account and will have his or her artwork displayed in the Nebraska State Capitol through September 15.
"Draw Your Dreams inspires creativity and taps into children’s imaginations as they envision their academic and professional futures," said Treasurer Stenberg, Trustee of NEST. "This contest encourages children not only to begin developing goals for higher education, but also provides an opportunity to win scholarship money to achieve the very dreams they visualize and portray in their artwork. Each piece of art showcases creativity and talent, and we are proud to honor the winners by placing their pieces on display for all to appreciate."
To qualify for the scholarship, students used pencil, crayons, paint, watercolor or paper collage to create landscape-oriented pictures depicting what they dream of being when they grow up. The contest was open to children from kindergarten through eighth grade. Members of the Nebraska Art Teachers Association judged the entries and selected the 12 winners:
"At the NEST 529 College Savings Plan, we find it rewarding to assist deserving families who are embarking on the pathway to higher education. That’s why we are always seeking new and unique ways to provide our account owners with an extra financial boost," said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, Savings Plans, First National Bank of Omaha. "It is even more rewarding when we can engage children and motivate them to map out and pursue their aspirations. As the scholarship winners announcement coincides with College Savings Month, what better way to promote college savings than encouraging big dreams for the future?"
For scholarship contest rules and regulations, visit www.NEST529.com and click on Grow. Then select Scholarships & Rewards. Contest rules also are available at treasurer.nebraska.gov/csp/scholarships.
To find out more about NEST College Savings Plans, visit www.NEST529.com or treasurer.nebraska.gov.
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.
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.
