40-year-old nonprofit breaks scholarship recipient records

Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year amid record growth in scholarship recipients. Since 1984, the organization has awarded more than 21,000 single parents about $18 million in scholarships.

President and CEO Tyler Clark said the nonprofit has a record 177 scholarship recipients this fall. Over the summer, it had a record 87 recipients.

“What we’re trying to do is figure out why we’re breaking records,” he said. Its recipients have learned about the nonprofit through word-of-mouth referrals and name recognition. Clark said he almost always wears his nametag, and when people see the nonprofit’s name, they say they know someone who’s been a recipient of the organization.

“My mom was in the hospital this winter, and we had two nurses that were actually graduates of the program,” he said. “It just happens so often, and it feels so good to see that our recipients, our alumni, are thriving outside of our program. That’s probably one of the coolest parts of this job is that you get to see our folks grow within their own way that is probably more unique than I’ve seen in anything in my 23 years of nonprofit work.”

Clark has led the organization since 2017. In July 2021, he oversaw the merger with the Single Parent Scholarship of Benton County. In 2009, the organization combined its work in three counties to become the organization it is today. The nonprofit has 14 staff, 21 board members, and about 85 community ambassadors and 30 special event volunteers.

Carrie Miller, chief program officer, was a Washington County employee of the nonprofit when it merged with Carroll and Madison counties in 2009. She said both mergers increased the number of recipients it handled. And the number continues to rise.

“We have 49 new recipients for the fall semester, which is huge,” said Miller, adding that this is the most new recipients it’s had for a semester. Also, this fall, the nonprofit had the largest number of applicants: 199.

COMMUNITY IMPACT
Clark said speaking to past recipients is “proof in the pudding for me that they have changed their trajectory in their life.” He said the nonprofit is not only a scholarship and social services program but also “an economic developer … Our recipients are folks who truly want to be productive …
“If you look at the impact each year, we’re pouring in about $3 million … back into the economy,” said Clark, noting that it has about 50 graduates annually.

Within a year of completion, its graduates earn about $35,000 annually. He added that this equals a 247% increase in income, with less reliance on government subsidies and more financial independence.

“What I love about the program is that they’re showing their children … that they can succeed and excel by also going to school,” he said. “That’s been my favorite part.”

Miller said she’s seen so many changes in its recipients over the years and has been with the organization long enough to see how it’s impacted recipients’ children.

“I’ve seen recipients become teachers, and now their daughters have become teachers,” said Miller, also recalling a recipient whose child is now a physician.

She noted the challenges of being a single parent and that the nonprofit looks to continue to provide more assistance to meet demand.

“It’s tumultuous out there currently,” she said. “It’s making it difficult for everyone to get by and even harder for single parents to be able to go back to school and make a difference for their families.”

Charity Shatwell of Siloam Springs has been a recipient since 2020 and is a first-generation college graduate. Last year, she earned an associate degree from NorthWest Arkansas Community College. Currently, she’s taking online classes at Arkansas State University. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership in May.

She described the nonprofit’s support for her as like those in the Bible who helped raise Moses’ arms when he was holding the staff. She said she’s been a single mother since she was six-months pregnant. Her 6-year-old son, Bear, is a first-grader who enjoys sports, Pokemon and learning.

“They just do so much, and they’re so loving … so open and so caring,” she said. “They send us cards on our birthdays. They not only offer us a scholarship, but they do what they call mini-scholarships for the kids, where they host a drive-thru with an ice cream truck. And we … get $100 toward his school supplies and a backpack full of school supplies, and he gets a free ice cream.”

She said the nonprofit’s purpose is not “just to give handouts but to give hand-ups. These people are trying to empower us not just financially but in every other possible way.”

She began in January consulting company Lampost Project Management and has provided clients with administration and billing services. She has two staff and plans to continue operating the company after graduation. Her long-term goal is to accept a position at a large company.

ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
Throughout 2024, the nonprofit has celebrated its 40th anniversary at its events. The last planned public event to commemorate the anniversary will be Jingle Mingle on Dec. 5.

Recently, it celebrated the success of its recipients and graduates and honored its supporters at its 22nd annual Spark of Hope event. In light of the 40th anniversary, those honored included the families of the founders, Ralph Nesson and Marjorie Marugg-Wolfe. The sell-out event had about 475 attendees and helped raise $118,000 for its fall scholarship recipients and back-to-school support.

“We were very pleased with the turnout,” Clark said. “We had a great VIP reception to honor former board members, and … 40 years of history is a lot to encapsulate in one night. But we got to see friends like Dick Trammel, Jim von Gremp and Ruth Collier, who’d been there literally from the beginning. They were the first phone calls that our founders made when they decided to go on this adventure.”

Clark said listening to the stories of the families of the founders, he was unsure whether they thought the nonprofit would be a “40-plus year endeavor, but I know they would be both very happy to see where we are today with the merging of the two organizations back three years ago and the general impact that we’ve been able to make in those 40 years.”

OTHER SUPPORT
The nonprofit’s recipients comprise attendees of accredited two- and four-year colleges. It also helps recipients develop workforce skills and earn credentials. Eligible recipients are single parents with a child, including divorced parents with partial child custody.

Beyond the scholarships, the nonprofit helps recipients access tutoring services or technology assistance. It also has a dry pantry for recipients, including aluminum foil, resealable plastic bags, laundry detergent and toiletries. Other services include a behavioral health program, career counseling and a graduate program called Gap.

Each year, Miller said it hosts an Empower Summit to provide recipients with professional development and to prepare them for a career after graduation.