WELLSBURG, W.Va. – State Treasurer Larry Pack today announced that Kyler Tamburin, a fourth-grade student at Brooke Intermediate North School, is the winner for the 2025 SMART529 “Fund the Future” $15,000 Statewide Sweepstakes.
Treasurer Pack was on hand in Brooke County on Wednesday, June 4, to present the $15,000 check to Tamburin and his family. A celebration ceremony took place at the Brooke County Judicial Annex in Wellsburg.
“My Office is happy to award Kyler and his family this money,” Treasurer Pack said. “As a father of six children, I know how important it is to save for higher education. My hope is our children will become the future leaders of our state. I would like to congratulate Kyler and applaud all our West Virginia students who entered our sweepstakes this year.”
Next school year, Tamburin will attend Brooke Middle School in Wellsburg. In the future, Tamburin wants to continue to play football and attend Pennsylvania State University to become an engineer.
“I was really excited when I found out I won this award,” Tamburin said. “I am very thankful.”
Erica Tamburin, mother of Kyler, said she entered the contest after seeing posts about it from a local school guidance counselor.
“I cried when I found out he won,” Erica Tamburin said. “I was in shock. I am very thankful for this. This is a great start to college.”
SMART529 is a qualified tuition program issued by the Board of Trustees of the West Virginia College and Jumpstart Savings Programs and administered by Hartford Funds. Complete information about SMART529 plans and investment options is available at www.SMART529.com.
The child will have $15,000 deposited directly into a SMART529 account. To enter the sweepstakes, parents or legal guardians had to submit an online entry form at www.wvtreasury.gov/fundthefuture.
Eligibility requirements included children being 17 or younger, a child and parent or legal guardian being a resident of West Virginia, and one entry per eligible child permitted. Multiple children in a household were able to be entered to win.
Treasurer Pack launched the “Fund the Future” sweepstakes on April 1 in Charleston. There were more than 7,200 entries – which is almost double the amount compared to last year.
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