KINGWOOD — One Preston County student received a boost to her college fund last week. Molly Dalton, a 14-year-old from Kingwood, was the lucky winner of $15,000 Smart 529 Fund the Future Sweepstakes.
Although she is only 14, Dalton has her future planned and said the money will help her reach her goals.
“I want to go to WVU, join ROTC and go to law school.” Dalton said. “I want to be an army attorney.”
Molly’s mother Peggy, her brothers Kevin Dalton and David Pfost, and her aunt Patricia were by her side to cheer for her.
Peggy said she entered her daughter in the sweepstakes but was surprised when her name came up as the random pick for the prize.
“It was like a stress relief for me when she won,” she said. “She’s a straight-A student and she wants to go law school.”
Molly said she was going to hang the large fake check State Treasurer Riley Moore presented her with.
“When I went home the last day of school my mom said I won. I was surprised, I thought at first it couldn’t be right,” she said.
West Virginia State Treasurer Riley Moore said Molly’s name was randomly drawn from thousands of entrants statewide. He told Dalton the next time she checked her Smart 529 college fund the money would be there.
Moore said parents or guardians who want more information about the program can go to wvtreasury.com/fundthefuture to complete and submit an entry form.
The child must be 17 or younger and the entry must be completed by a parent or legal guardian. Both the child and parent or legal guardian must be residents of West Virginia. Only one entry per child is permitted, however multiple children in a household may be entered to win.
