NEWS AND EVENTS
Schedule of Events - 2011
| Date | Event | Location |
| April 21, 2012 | Kids Day | Anchorage, AK |
| August 3-12, 2012 | Tanana Valley State Fair | Fairbanks, AK |
| August 23 - September 3, 2012 |
Alaska State Fair | Palmer, AK |
For more information, please call (907) 474-5671 or email collegesavings@alaska.edu.
2011 SCHOLARSHIP ACCOUNT WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
Logan Smith, a 12-year-old boy from Seward, has won a $25,000 University of Alaska College Savings Plan scholarship account and four other young Alaskans have won $2,500 scholarship accounts.
The winners were announced during commercial breaks during the Sunday Night Football game Nov. 27 on NBC.
This is the second year the UA College Savings Plan offered the scholarship account giveaway aimed to encourage Alaska families to set aside half of their Permanent Fund Dividends for higher education expenses. The Education Trust of Alaska, the trust established to administer the college savings program, funds the scholarship account giveaway.
For information on the 2012 scholarship account giveaway, click here.
Read the full press release
The winners are as follows:
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$25,000: Logan Smith, 12, Seward |
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$2,500: Ashlyne Miller, 12, Sitka |
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$2,500: Nicole Vanni, 18, Wasilla |
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$2,500: Tyler Johnson, 19, Sterling |
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$2,500: Megan Kenner, 14, Anchorage |
Video footage of the Scholarship Account Giveaway.
CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN
The UA College Savings Plan was a proud sponsor of the "Champions for Children" dinner reception held on November 10, 2011. The Imagination Library Champion for Children Award is designed to recognize individuals for extraordinary and exemplary service to children in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Besides the "Champions for Children" presentation, the reception included Becky Zaverl's Denali Elementary Kindergarten class who performed 3 songs both vocally and in sign language, a "My Favorite Book" presentation by 3 and 4-year old guest speakers, a silent auction, and a call-out auction. Contributions will benefit the local North Star Imagination Library.
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Becky Zaverl's Kindergarten class | |
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Master of Ceremonies, Nancy Wagner with Gavin Kohler |
North Star Imagination Library
In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county's preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family's income.
So she decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under 5 in Sevier County. With the arrival of every child's first book, the classic The Little Engine That Could, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mail box. These moments continue each month until the child turns 5-and in their very last month in the program they receive Mrs. Bendergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten.
This collection of books is designed to spark a lifelong love of reading. After years of success, Dolly continues to help other communities replicate the program.
Alaska Initiative
With grants from the Rasmuson Foundation, the CIRI Foundation, and Conoco Phillips, Best Beginnings provides matching funds for communities in Alaska to start their own Imagination Libraries! Each month, the North Star Imagination Library hosts a Family Fun Night at the Noel Wien Public Library for an evening of fun for preschoolers and their families. The children get to participate in story time and other miscellaneous crafty activities.
The UA College Savings Plan is the newest sponsor of this event and gave away (3) $50 Barnes and Noble gift cards as door prizes for this month's event. We also hosted a craft table and answered questions regarding the UA College Savings Plan.
2011 SPIRIT OF YOUTH AWARDS
The University of Alaska College Savings Plan supported the 2011 Spirit of Youth Award winners by providing college savings accounts to help further their education. The annual Spirit of Youth Dinner was held in Anchorage on March 19th, 2011. Teens from 15 Alaska communities were recognized and celebrated for their contributions.
Spirit of Youth is dedicated to creating, promoting and recognizing youth involvement in communities across Alaska.
Spirit of Youth builds resiliency in youth through encouraging, recognizing and celebrating meaningful participation in the community. Our media campaign highlights the positive contributions of Alaska's youth. Story leads come from nominations submitted by the public which are shared with the media across the state. Since our start in 1997, thousands of youth have been celebrated through our efforts. This campaign ultimately improves how adults view teens and breaks down barriers to enable healthy, supportive relationships.
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2011 Spirit of Youth Award Recipients and Teen Advisory Council Members | |
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U.S. Senator, Mark Begich, congratulates award winners | |
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U.S. Senator, Lisa Murkowski, visits with award recipient, Dalton Dietrich |
(Photos by Joshua Borough)
MEET THE 2011 "YOUTH OF THE YEAR" WINNERS!
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America 2011 "Youth of the Year" competition took place on Tuesday, March 15th in Fort Wainwright, AK.
Nominees competed for recognition of accomplishments in academics and community service as well as their commitment to family and peer role modeling.
Of the five finalists, three were presented with scholarship accounts donated by the UA College Savings Plan.
Read the full press release
The winners are as follows:
Youth of the Year, $2,000 Scholarship Account: Karimah B. Shine, 15, Anchorage
1st runner up, $1,500 Scholarship Account: Christopher Brewer, 17, Eielson Air Force Base
2nd runner up, $1,000 Scholarship Account: Antaeus "Tre" Gayles, 16, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
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2011 Boys & Girls Clubs of America "Youth of the Year" Winners (from left to right: Antaeus "Tre" Gayles, Karimah B. Shine, Christopher Brewer) | |
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2011 Boys and Girls Clubs of America "Youth of the Year" Finalists (from left to right: Antaeus "Tre" Gayles, Whittney Logan Eastwood, Shannon Evans, Karimah B. Shine, Christopher Brewer) |
PUT YOUR TAX REFUND TO WORK
The UA College Savings Plan now offers Direct Deposit for your income tax refund.
It's easy to automatically contribute to your college savings account. Click here to complete a "Tax Refund Direct Deposit Form," mail it in, and we'll do the rest.
