RICHMOND, Va. – The R-Braves are honoring Lauren Williams, a Freeman High School freshman with outstanding academic, athletic and service records, as the first student winner in the 2008 season of FasMart’s Grand Slam Kid contest.

Williams earns a $500 scholarship administered by the Virginia College Savings Plan. She also will be eligible to win the season grand prize of an additional $2,500 scholarship in the Virginia Education Savings Trust (VEST), which can be used tax free to pay qualified higher education expenses including tuition, fees, textbooks, supplies and room and board.

The Virginia College Savings Plan allows individuals and families to prepare for college costs by contributing to Virginia’s tax-advantaged 529 savings programs. VEST and CollegeAmerica – two of Virginia’s 529 programs – recently were named by Morningstar as among the “Best Five” in the country.

This is the second year of the contest – sponsored by FasMart, the Virginia College Savings Plan, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Richmond Braves – to recognize 6th through 12th graders from across Virginia who excel in school, sports and community service.

Williams, 15, is involved in Freeman High School’s Center for Leadership, Government and Global Economics, currently maintains a 4.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and has received the Virginia Academy of Science’s Award of Honor and the President’s Award for Educational Excellence.

In athletics, Williams was the starting point guard for Freeman’s JV basketball squad, the starting mid-fielder of Freeman’s JV soccer team and has played for the Richmond Kickers Central travel team for 10 years. She also is active in Girl Scouting, having earned her bronze and silver awards, and in the YMCA Bright Beginnings program. In 2007, Lauren was named the Tuckahoe Family YMCA Youth Volunteer of the Year.

Prize rules and a printable nomination form are available at www.rbraves.com. For more information about VEST and Virginia’s other 529 savings programs, go to www.Virginia529.com.