Students and Parents Can Enter Drawings to Win Five $529 College
Savings Awards
Sallie Mae financial aid experts will answer questions about college
financial aid at the Back to School Block Party, sponsored by the School
District of Philadelphia and Radio One Philadelphia on Friday, Aug. 7.
The nation’s leading saving, planning and paying for education company
will conduct drawings throughout the event and five families will win
$529 to jump start their college savings.
Sallie
Mae will also offer live demos of its free college budgeting tool,
show families how to research scholarships, and hand out college
planning materials. The all-day free block party will provide students
and their families with valuable information and in-person assistance to
help them prepare for a successful back-to-school transition. The first
day of school for Philadelphia public school students is Tuesday, Sept.
8. Radio One Philadelphia’s radio stations and a radio personality from
the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show will broadcast live
from the event.
Sallie Mae’s booth will highlight its Education Investment Planner,
available at www.SallieMae.com/invest.
The free tool can help aspiring college students and their families
compare the costs of 5,500 colleges and universities and build a
customized plan to pay for higher education. Sallie Mae will also
provide information about 529 college savings plans and its free
Upromise college savings program, which enables members to earn money
back for college while making eligible purchases at hundreds of
participating retailers. The winners of the five drawings will receive
their $529 award in a Upromise
account.
Families can also pick up free educational materials from The
Sallie Mae Fund, such as the award-winning “Mission Possible”
paying-for-college toolkit, available in both English and Spanish, and
directories of scholarships geared for Latino and African-American
students.
Sallie Mae recommends that families follow its “1-2-3
approach” to paying for college: first, tap “free money” such as
grants and scholarships; second, fully explore federal loans; and third,
if necessary, fill any gap with private student loans.
In addition to essential financial aid and school information, the Back
to School Block Party will offer stage performances, fun activities,
food, music, giveaways and prizes. The Block Party is free and will be
held at the School District of Philadelphia’s Education Center, 440
North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM),
commonly known as Sallie Mae, is the nation’s leading provider of
saving, planning and paying for education programs. Through its
subsidiaries, the company manages $188 billion in education loans and
serves 10 million student and parent customers. Through its Upromise
affiliates, the company also manages more than $19 billion in 529
college-savings plans, and is a major, private source of college funding
contributions in America with 11 million members and more than $475
million in member rewards. Sallie Mae and its subsidiaries offer debt
management services as well as business and technical products to a
range of business clients, including higher education institutions,
student loan guarantors and state and federal agencies. More information
is available at www.SallieMae.com.
SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of
the United States of America.
Sallie Mae
Erica Eriksdotter, +1-703-984-5628
erica.eriksdotter@salliemae.com
