First National Bank of Omaha and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg are pleased to announce the winners of the Dear Grandchild contest. Winners will receive a total of $8,000 in scholarship money into NEST 529 college savings accounts for their grandchildren.
Dear Grandchild invited grandparents to write letters to grandchildren, sharing the grandparents’ hopes and dreams and urging the grandchildren to plan for college. More than 485 letters were entered into the drawing. Four were randomly selected as winners to receive scholarships of $2,000 each, provided by First National Bank of Omaha, program manager for NEST, Nebraska’s 529 college savings plans.
The winners are as follows:
“Thank you to all the grandparents and great aunts and uncles who wrote sincere and tender letters to the special children in their lives in the Dear Grandchild contest sponsored by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust. The letters expressed the hopes and dreams of all of us for children in Nebraska and across this nation. We all wish for children’s success and happiness, and we know that higher education, whether at a four-year college, technical school, or graduate program, will make a difference in these young lives. Saving through a NEST savings account is a step toward making these dreams reality,” State Treasurer Stenberg said.
“This contest proved to be a great opportunity for grandparents to share hopes and dreams for their grandchildren’s future,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director of NEST at First National Bank of Omaha, the NEST Program Manager. “We were truly inspired by the thoughtfulness of these letters and the passion grandparents showed for their grandchildren to pursue higher education. Clearly, grandparents want much success and happiness for their grandchildren.”
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.
