First National Bank of Omaha and Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg today announced the 2018 NEST Read to Win $529 Drawing winners at a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. Each of the 15 winners received a $529 contribution to a NEST 529 College Savings account. The library of each winning reader also received a $250 donation.
In all, the NEST Read to Win $529 Drawing, offered in partnership with the Nebraska Library Commission, is awarding more than $10,000 to children and libraries across Nebraska in 2018. Libraries receiving donations are Omaha Public Library, $1,250; Lincoln City Libraries, $1,000; Grand Island Public Library, $750; and Franklin Public Library, O’Neill Public Library, and Blair Public Library and Technology Center, each $250.
The NEST Read to Win Drawing was open to young readers between ages 3 and 18 from May to August in participating public libraries throughout Nebraska. Winners were selected at random in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts.
“This year 17,071 children and teens from across Nebraska completed summer reading programs in their local libraries and were entered in the Read to Win Drawing. That’s 4,000 more entries than last year and the second largest number of entries in the five years of the drawing,” Treasurer Stenberg said.
“Instilling a love of reading—and an appreciation for public libraries—in children from a young age is important for academic readiness and personal growth. We are excited to see the widespread enthusiasm for Read to Win across Nebraska, and we hope families will use the NEST Read to Win Drawing as an opportunity to prioritize academic goals and to plan for the future,” Stenberg said.
This year’s winners and their affiliated libraries are:
“The Read to Win $529 Drawing poses an exciting challenge for preschool and school-age children and their families to support their educational development over the summer, while gaining insight on how to start saving for higher education,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director, Savings Plans, First National Bank of Omaha.
“At NEST 529 we strive to provide unique and diverse opportunities for students to learn the importance of saving and develop good financial habits. We are delighted to partner with the Nebraska Library Commission and are thrilled to see how many children qualified for the Read to Win $529 Drawing by reading this summer,” Goodkin said.
More information is available at NEST529.com or treasurer.nebraska.gov.
About NEST 529
NEST 529 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 297,000 accounts, including over 97,000 Nebraskans. 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.
