As students across the state go back to school, a lucky Gainesville three-year-old is already putting away money for his college education after winning a $1,529 contribution to his Path2College 529 Plan.
Easton Williams was one of the statewide winners of the Path2College 529 Plan’s We Care Child Care Sweepstakes. Path2College is a state-sponsored college savings plan.
“Easton is bright light that has a lot to offer the world. Education and the college experience are important. Not only can it provide a better employment outlook, but hopefully it provides an opportunity to interact with students and professors that have different opinions and points of view,” said Chris Williams, Easton’s father who entered him in the sweepstakes. “I believe the more you learn about the world and how things work the better equipped you are to be an independent thinker and make decisions for yourself and not just follow the crowd. My dad grew up poor and never had an opportunity to attend college but it was his dream that his sons would. He taught us the importance of education and in one generation changed the trajectory of our family.
“It’s important to us that we continue pushing our family forward. We want our son to have every possible opportunity without having to struggle to pay back student loans. Winning the sweepstakes contribution from the Path2College 529 Plan is a great opportunity for us to continue to invest in our son’s future.”
This is the fifth year Path2College and the Department of Early Care and Learning have partnered to hold the sweepstakes in an effort to raise awareness among parents and grandparents about the importance of saving for college early and the financial resources offered by the state of Georgia that can help young children prepare for their educational future.
“It’s an honor to award four Georgia children with a contribution toward their future,” said Caylee Noggle, president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which partners with the Office of the State Treasurer to administer the Path2College 529 Plan for the state of Georgia. “We hope that this sweepstakes brought awareness and informed families across the state about the Path2College 529 Plan and that it inspired them to take steps to research and explore the college savings resources offered by the State. It’s never too late to start saving for college, but our hope is that, through programs like these, we can encourage more families with young children to begin saving even earlier.”
Easton’s childcare, Elachee Nature Academy, was also awarded $529 as part of the sweepstakes.
“Elachee Nature Academy is excited to have one of our Nature Preschool students named a winner of the Path2College 529 Plan We Care Child Care contest,” said Melissa Reid, director of Schools at Elachee Nature Academy. The “school plans to use the contest winnings to enhance STEAM programming.”
Winners of the sweepstakes were randomly from four regions - Metro Atlanta, Southeast, North, and South Georgia.
Past winners include Lily Wallace of Gainesville and Amelia Jane Thomason of Cleveland.
For more information about the Path2College 529 Plan, visit www.Path2College.com or call (877) 424-4377.
To learn more about the Path2College 529 Plan, its investment objectives, tax benefits, risks, and costs see the Disclosure Booklet at path2college529.com.
