Single Parent Scholarship Fund Celebrates 30 Years
by March 31, 2014 12:00 am 91 views
The Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
Founded in 1984, the nonprofit organization awards money for college each year to single parents in Carroll, Madison and Washington counties.
The organization will mark the anniversary occasion during its annual Spark of Hope Campaign Awards Ceremony June 19 at the Fayetteville Town Center.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. The featured speaker will be Al Dominguez, senior vice president and divisional merchandise manager of household paper goods and chemicals for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
For ticket information, contact Joy Morris at [email protected] or 479-935-4888.
“We’re really proud that our community has supported this [initiative] for 30 years,” said Jody Dilday, executive director of SPSF. “I think we have a very progressive community that saw a need and has continually worked to address it.”
Dilday said the Spark of Hope event will primarily celebrate the contributors, participants and success stories of the program throughout the years.
Scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 will be awarded, and the Spark of Hope honors will recognize SPSF contributors by giving awards to an individual, a community partner, and a corporate sponsor, according to the SPSF website.
The fund has given out more than 4,800 scholarships worth more than $3.54 million since its inception, according to its website. It awarded $340,775 in scholarships in 2012.
Scholarships are funded by donations from civic groups, churches, and individuals along with grants from the Walton Family Foundation, the Walmart Foundation and United Way, according to its website. The fund also receives endowment revenue and various other foundation grants. No government funds are involved.