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$10,000 in Scholarships through the Foundation for MS Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks
JACKSON, MS – State Treasurer Lynn Fitch and Dr. Sam Polles, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks, announced a new partnership to provide College Savings Mississippi scholarships to Mississippi students.
“We are so pleased to be able to work with MDWFP and the Foundation to help students jumpstart their education savings,” said Treasurer Fitch. “This is now so much more than a reward for a student’s excellence in a great outdoor activity; it’s an investment in their future.”
The scholarships provided by the Foundation for Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks will be offered as prizes to nine students through MDWFP’s Mississippi Scholastic Shooting Program (MSSP), a competitive, interscholastic youth development program. MSSP teaches life skills like discipline, safety, teamwork, ethics, self-confidence, and more through shotgun sports. Each of the nine students will receive $1,000-2,000 for a Mississippi Affordable College Savings (MACS) account.
“The MSSP program has grown exponentially each year since its inception,” said Dr. Polles. “Now with this partnership, the scholarships donated by our Foundation will have the opportunity to grow, setting up these young men and women for success; enjoying Mississippi’s Great Outdoors is an added bonus.”
MACS is one of two 529 college savings programs run by the State through College Savings Mississippi, a division of the State Treasurer’s Office. MACS offers tax advantages on both the state and federal level to help stretch savings, and can be used for tuition, certain room and board expenses, books, and even laptops. MACS can also be used to help pay tuition at private and religious elementary and secondary schools.
About the MS Scholastic Shooting Program
The Mississippi Scholastic Shooting Program (MSSP) is a team-based, youth development program that uses the shotgun sports of 5-Stand, Skeet, and Sporting Clays to instill life skills such as discipline, safety, teamwork, ethics, self-confidence, and other life values. The program utilizes these disciplines to teach hunting skills through the safe use of hunting equipment, including firearms, and their relationship to hunting situations. Team members can participate in any or all three of the clay target disciplines: 5-Stand, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. The MSSP is not designed to compete with 4-H or other youth based organizations, but should complement it in schools. The MSSP will provide youth an opportunity to compete for their school in a scholastic shooting sports program.
About College Savings Mississippi
College Savings Mississippi, a division of the Office of the State Treasurer, administers Mississippi’s two 529 college savings plans, MACS and MPACT (Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition). Through a variety of programs each year, including a student Art Contest, Tuition Toss at the MHSAA State Football Championships, Savings Shootout at the MHSAA State Basketball Championships, and Race to College Relay at the MHSAA State Baseball Championships, College Savings Mississippi has distributed over $120,000 in MACS scholarships to Mississippi families since Fiscal Year 2014. For more information on both MACS and MPACT, visit www.TreasurerLynnFitch.com.
