Fourteen Oregon children now have a head start on saving for college, including Jack Wise of Bend, thanks to taking part in summer reading. Their names were randomly drawn as winners in this year’s superhero-themed Save for College, Save the Day! summer reading campaign, sponsored by the Oregon College Savings Plan in partnership with the Oregon State Library and Oregon Library Association. The annual campaign is designed to help keep kids’ minds engaged over the summer.
Overall, the Oregon College Savings Plan awarded $14,906: each of the 14 winners received a $529 Oregon College Savings Plan account, while the libraries where the winners enrolled received a total of $7,500.
“The Oregon College Savings Plan believes it is fundamentally important to support summer reading programs for Oregon families,” said Michael Parker, executive director of the Oregon 529 Savings Network. “Studies show that reading year round can increase a child’s academic performance, and that will help them to be college ready.”
According to the Oregon State Library, 206,425 youth from birth through age 18 signed up for this year’s summer reading program at public libraries throughout Oregon; collectively, they read 144,643 books. At least 68,735 achieved their reading goal and completed the 2015 summer reading program.
“This is the sixth year that we’ve partnered with the Oregon College Savings Plan on summer reading,” said MaryKay Dahlgreen, Oregon State Librarian. “We appreciate their support of the importance of year round reading.”
The Save for College, Save the Day! campaign received 7,339 entries statewide, helping to spread awareness of the importance of both summer reading and saving early for college. The 14 winners selected include:
• Carter Hagemann of Jefferson, Grade Pre-K, Albany Public Library
• Vivien Bizzell of Astoria, Grade K, Astoria Public Library
• Jack H Wise of Bend, Grade 11, Deschutes Public Library: Downtown Bend
• Flynn Cruzen of Portland, Grade Pre-K, Multnomah County Library: Hillsdale
• Samuel Loh-Menendez of Portland, Grade Pre-K, Multnomah County Library: Hollywood
• Kason Kleiner of Grants Pass, Grade 1, Josephine County Library
• Quinn Thede of Ontario, Grade 2, Ontario Community Library
• Henry Buss of Springfield, Grade Pre-K, Springfield Public Library
• Alexandria Olsen of Springfield, Grade K, Springfield Public Library
• Brooke Rush of Harrisburg, Grade 9, Springfield Public Library
• Levi Butcher of Saint Helens, Grade 2, St. Helens Public Library
• Margaret Hajdu-Paulen of Tigard, Grade 2, Tigard Public Library
• Athena Turner of West Linn, Grade 6, West Linn Public Library
• Eli Hendricks of Portland, Grade 2, West Slope Community Library
As part of the campaign, the Oregon College Savings Plan also underwrote a series of free special performances in libraries in communities with a population of 10,000 or less. The goal was to engage and motivate young readers, while helping these smaller libraries drive traffic and encourage summer reading. Select libraries and their patrons enjoyed entertainment from award-winning storyteller Christopher Leebrick, Penny’s Puppets, Charlie Brown the Juggler, Rhys Thomas Jugglemania, and Rich Glauber’s Music in Action throughout the summer months.
About The Oregon College Savings Plan
The Oregon College Savings Plan, which is part of the Oregon 529 College Savings Network, launched in January 2001 and has grown to more than $1 billion in assets as of September 30, 2015. The plan is managed by TIAA‐CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. For more information about the Oregon College Savings Plan, its investment options and how to enroll, visit www.OregonCollegeSavings.com or call toll free 866‐772‐8464. Follow the Oregon College Savings Plan on Facebook.com/oregoncollegesavings and Twitter.com/OregonCSP; all social media platforms are managed by the state of Oregon.
