Foster children families to be selected for college savings awards

Mission West Virginia, in combination with State Treasurer John Perdue’s office, is now taking applications for the fourth annual Smart Start awards, a program which has provided 31 children $37,200 in its first three years.

Money is raised each May through the SMART5.29K walk/run in Charleston. Mission West Virginia selects families who have adopted children out of foster care to receive the race proceeds in SMART529 accounts and a Clay Center reception is held to present the awards and honor the families.

For families who think they might meet the criteria and are interested in applying, go to www.missionwv.org, then click on “About Frameworks,” followed by “Scholarships and Awards.”

The official criteria:

• Applications are due Oct. 1, 2018
• Child must be a resident of West Virginia
• Child must be 12 or younger as of Oct. 1, 2018
• Child must be adopted from the West Virginia foster care system with finalized adoption at time of application

A button to download the application is immediately below the criteria on the Frameworks website.

SMART529 is West Virginia’s officially sanctioned college savings program. The race which raises money for the savings awards is taken from the plan name, with a distance of exactly 5.29 kilometers.