Community Corner

Vote for Kinnelon Family to Receive College Scholarships for Adopted Daughters

Smith family are semifinalists to receive $10,000 from Upromise.

Pam Smith and her husband always wanted children but were unable to have one of their own.

After living in Hong Kong for four years, Smith and her husband began to entertain the idea of adopting a baby girl from China. The process was very easy for the family to adopt Elizabeth. They adopted another infant a short time later. Elizabeth is now a senior in high school.

“We are in the process of choosing a college with [Elizabeth] and we’re facing the extremely high costs of college,” said Smith, a Kinnelon resident.

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Smith wrote a letter to Upromise, a college savings service offered by Sallie Mae that provides parents, students, and families with a place where they can save for college tuition. Sallie Mae is a financial services company specializing in education and 529 college savings plans.

Smith and her family were chosen by Upromise to receive $10,000 to put toward Elizabeth’s college education. Smith knew the odds would be against her being chosen as semifinalist, but she wrote to Upromise and was chosen.

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“When we adopted our oldest daughter from China we were asked by a Chinese officials what our daughter would be when she grew up,” Smith said in her pledge. “Our reply, much to his surprise, was ‘Anything she wants to be. Maybe she will be a teacher or a doctor or a dancer. We will give her everything we possibly can tot make her dreams a reality.”

Residents can visit the Upromise website and vote for Smith and Elizabeth to receive the funds. Smith said if she is one of the 10 entrants chose, Elizabeth will receive $5,000 and her sister, a sophomore in high school, would receive the other $5,000. Voting ends Wednesday.


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