DES MOINES, IA (10/02/2012)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald announced today that College Savings Iowa has reached $3 billion in assets. "Families are taking advantage of the benefits of saving with College Savings Iowa," Fitzgerald said. "We are thrilled the Plan has continued to grow at such an exciting pace. More and more families are aware that saving early for their children's higher education is of the utmost importance."

As a way to encourage families to continue saving early, College Savings Iowa is giving away a $5,290 College Savings Iowa account - its largest giveaway to date. For more information about the program and to enter the giveaway, please visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com any time before November 30, 2012.

College Savings Iowa, created in 1998, is a budget-friendly 529 plan that offers multiple investment choices, as well as significant federal and state tax benefits to help families grow their savings even more. An account can be started with as little as $25 and the assets can be used to pay for qualified higher education expenses at any eligible college, university, community college or accredited technical training school in the United States or abroad. Iowa state taxpayers can deduct up to $2,975 in contributions per beneficiary account from their 2012 adjusted gross income.*

*Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income. The earnings portion of nonqualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

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Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money by investing in the plan. Participants assume all investment risks as well as responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. If you are not an Iowa taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.

For more information about the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan, call 888-672-9116 or visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com to obtain a Program Description. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are included in the Program Description; read and consider it carefully before investing. Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

College Savings Iowa is an Iowa trust sponsored by the Iowa State Treasurer's Office. The Treasurer of the State of Iowa sponsors and is responsible for overseeing the administration of the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan. The Vanguard Group, Inc., serves as Investment Manager and Vanguard Marketing Corporation, an affiliate of The Vanguard Group, Inc., assists the Treasurer with marketing and distributing the Plan. Upromise Investment Advisors, LLC, provides records administration services. The Plan's portfolios, although they invest in Vanguard mutual funds, are not mutual funds.

Congratulations to Rivermont Collegiate senior Darsani Reddy, who has been named a Commended Student in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program! Commended Students placed among the top five percent of the more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2013 competition by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).  "Recognizing academically talented students plays a fundamental role in the advancement of educational excellence within our nation," commented an NMSC spokesperson.  "The young people recognized as Commended Students represent some of the best and brightest minds in the country as demonstrated by their outstanding performance in our highly competitive program."

Darsani, daughter of Dr. Bouyella and Mrs. Kamala Reddy of Moline, IL, is a member of National Honor Society and President of the Rivermont Computer Club.  She is also a member of the Varsity Basketball team and Show Choir and enjoys participating in Rivermont theater productions, as well as volunteering at Trinity Medical Center.

Rivermont Collegiate, located in Bettendorf, is the Quad Cities' only private, independent college prep school for preschool through twelfth grade.  At Rivermont there are no spectators, only participants!

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate, contact Rachel Chamberlain, Director of Admissions, at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or chamberlain@rvmt.org.

Braley Congratulates Heritage Christian School in DeWitt

Waterloo, IA - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today announced that Heritage Christian School in DeWitt, Iowa has once again been named a President's Challenge "State Champion School" by the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN).

Heritage Christian is one of three schools in the state to be selected annually by scoring at or above the 85^th percentile on the President's Challenge Physical Fitness Test.

"I congratulate Heritage Christian on once again doing so well in their physical fitness testing," said Braley. "Healthy living is important and it's good to see kids making healthy lifestyle choices."

Braley has made school fitness a priority in his work in Congress. Last December, he introduced the Shawn Johnson Fitness for Life Act to promote better health and the use of innovative technology in school physical exercise classes. This year, Braley and Johnson once again teamed up to bring greater awareness to fitness in schools.

This will be the last class of the President's Challenge State Champion Schools program. This school year, the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition launched a new school-based program that promotes health and regular physical activity for America's youth. For more information about the program please visit: www.presidentialyouthfitnessprogram.org.

It turns out dogs are not only good for our health; finding missing people; and helping disabled people live independent lives - they're good for kids' report cards, too!

Canines have been found to improve the immune system and reduce blood pressure, among other health benefits. They help rescuers and law officers, blind people and those with limited use of their hands and arms. Now we have another reason to celebrate man's best friend.

"Dogs not only help children learn to read, they help children learn to love reading," says Michael Amiri, coauthor with his wife, Linda, of the children's book, Shellie, the Magical dog (www.shelliethemagicaldog.com). "And that's true of for children with and without learning disabilities."

A Minnesota pilot project called PAWSitive Readers finds that trained therapy dogs helped 10 of 14 grade-school participants improve their reading skills by one grade level. Additionally, a University of California study showed that children who read to the family dog improved their ability by an average of 12 percent.

Amiri discusses five reasons why dogs help kids learn to love reading:

• No embarrassment: "Most of us have memories of reading out loud in class," he says. "Though we may have been proficient readers, the fear of stumbling on a word in front of everyone was a constant source of anxiety." Dogs are excellent for unconditional, nonjudgmental love; they won't laugh if and when mistakes happen.

• Confidence boosters: "I never had a dog while growing up, which is too bad because I think I would have had an easier time gaining self-confidence," says Amiri. As an adult, he discovered the many benefits of dogs through he and his wife's very special Maltese, Shellie. She's often the center of attention in their community at pet-friendly restaurants, where she laps her water out of a martini glass. And she has a full-time job as the greeter at Linda's hair and nail salon. "If a little dog can give me, a grown man, more confidence, imagine what it can do for kids," he says.

• Polite listeners: Like humans, dogs are social creatures and most enjoy the sound of a calm voice speaking to them. Many - except perhaps the most energetic breeds - seem to enjoy curling up on a rug and listening to a story being read aloud. They don't interrupt (except for the occasional ear scratch or to sniff a body part) and they often show appreciation for the attention.

• A fun approach to schoolwork: Too often, when children think of studying, they think of time spent hunched over a desk struggling alone to work out problems and memorize lists. Interacting with a lovable, fuzzy friend for an hour of homework is an appealing alternative.

• Win-win: A canine-student reading program is a great way to help service dogs-in-training learn patience and discipline. Dogs are trained to help veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, the blind, and people who use wheelchairs, among others. These dogs in training help children, while children improve a dog's service abilities.

About Michael and Linda Amiri

Michael Amiri grew up in New York City and became an actor in local theater productions and television commercials. Linda Amiri is an entrepreneur, the owner of a successful hair and nail salon. Their personality-plus Maltese, Shellie, is a popular community character, who puts in a full day of work every day as a greeter at her "mom's" salon. She's the inspiration for the first in a series of children's books that will address topics and issues of concern to children.