Photo by Craig Howell Brooke County fourth-grader Kyler Tamburin was selected as the winner of West Virginia’s SMART529 ‘Fund the Future’ sweepstakes. Last week, state Treasurer Larry Pack was in Wellsburg to recognize him and present him with a mockup of a $15,000 check. Taking part in the presentation were, from left, state Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Wellsburg, Pack, Kyler Tamburin, and his mother, Erica Tamburin.

WELLSBURG — A Brooke County youth is getting a head start in saving for his college education, after being selected as the winner of a statewide sweepstakes offered through the West Virginia Treasurer’s Office.

Kyler Tamburin, who just completed his fourth-grade year at Brooke Intermediate North and will be attending Brooke Middle School in the fall, is the recipient of $15,000 through the SMART529 “Fund the Future” sweepstakes.

“I was really, really excited when I found out,” he said about learning he had won the sweepstakes, which had entries from more than 7,200 youth throughout West Virginia.

The money will be deposited into a SMART529 savings account, which will be available to Tamburin when he is ready to attend college.

West Virginia Treasurer Larry Pack was in Wellsburg, last week, to congratulate Tamburin and present him with a mock-up of a check in recognition of the award.

Tamburin, who noted his plans to eventually attend Penn State University to study engineering, as well as play football, said he is thinking about hanging the large check in his room.

Kyler’s mother, Erica Tamburin, said they were thankful and excited to be selected, explaining they learned of the contest through a social media post by one of the county’s school counselors.

“It was really simple to do,” she said of the application process.

Pack noted the SMART529 program was established many years ago by the West Virginia Legislature as a way to encourage families to save money to send their children to college. The program also offers an annual essay contest.

“Fund the Future” is in its second year, Pack noted, explaining the winner of the sweepstakes is selected through a random drawing.

“Thousands applied, and we basically pulled a name from a hat,” he said. “My office is happy to award Kyler and his family this money. 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 of our West Virginia students who entered our sweepstakes this year.”

To be eligible for the sweepstakes, one has to be 17 years of age or younger, with the child and a parent or legal guardian residing in West Virginia.

Only one entry per child is permitted, though multiple children in the same household may enter.