Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg welcomed two new Nebraska NEST Birthday Babies today and reminded new parents that they have until January 10, 2018, to enter the drawing in celebration of Nebraska’s 150th birthday.
The name of the last NEST Birthday Baby will be drawn in January, bringing the total number of Birthday Babies to 12. Each Birthday Baby has received a $529 contribution to a Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST) college savings plan. Parents and guardians who live in Nebraska may enter their newborns in the drawing at www.NEST529.com/NewbornDrawing.
The most recent winners are
“Our Nebraska NEST Birthday Baby drawing has been a truly rewarding experience. We have helped young families learn about our highly regarded state-sponsored 529 college savings program and, at the same time, we have met remarkable parents and grandparents who want only the very best for their children and grandchildren,” said Treasurer Stenberg, Trustee of NEST.
“We thank the Sesquicentennial Commission for recognizing this year-long initiative as a Legacy program because of its lasting impact on young Nebraska families. We are proud to help these families start saving for college and to begin building sound financial futures for their children. We enjoy meeting the families, hearing about their hopes and dreams for their children, and introducing them to NEST.”
“Nebraska NEST Birthday Babies has been a special promotion for our college savings plan and a fun way to celebrate Nebraska's 150th birthday. Recognizing our NEST newborns has reminded all of us how precious our birthday babies are to our state's growth and success and the importance of saving for our children's future educational dreams and goals,” said Rachel Biar, director of the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust and the originator of the Birthday Baby drawing. “It has been a pleasure to highlight our scholarship winners while sharing our message of saving for college with NEST.”
Lineva and Christopher Matzke said, like all parents, they wish the very best for their son Andrew. He is doing well, they said, after being born prematurely and spending the first two and one-half weeks of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Bryan Medical Center East.
Lineva works at Bryan as a certified nursing assistant, and Christopher drives a service truck at Cross Dillon Tire. Andrew has older half-siblings, Cole Matzke, 16; Isabella Condon, 11; and Jaxson Condon, 7.
“We want what every parent wishes, that their children do what they want to do, what makes them happy, and that they live happy and successful lives,” Lineva said.
Macie Fehringer is the youngest of five siblings and, with three older sisters, has plenty of “moms” to help care for her. Penny said the family had been focused on college for the older children and hadn’t thought about saving for Macie. The NEST account will give Macie a great head start, Penny said.
“We hope Macie is able to follow her dreams and do whatever her path in life takes her,” Penny said. For all their children, she said, “We just hope they are able to make it in the world, get good jobs, and make ends meet without having to struggle.”
The Fehringers’ oldest daughter, Michaela, 19, attends Wayne State College where she has received generous scholarships, including a scholarship from the Susan T. Buffett Foundation. She will graduate debt free. Other children in the family are Miranda, 17; Maggie, 16; and Jacob, 7. Penny is a customer service representative at BankFirst in Wayne, and Michael is a math coach at Omaha Nation Schools in Macy.
Throughout 2017, the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust has been selecting a parent or legal guardian of a Nebraska newborn each month to receive a $529 contribution to a NEST account in celebration of Nebraska’s 150th birthday. Other NEST Birthday Babies, to date, follow:
Rules for the Nebraska NEST Birthday Babies can be found at www.NEST529.com/NewbornDrawing and here. Information about the Nebraska Sesquicentennial can be found at ne150.org.
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.
