Single parents who are trying to further their higher education need a little help sometimes. That’s why Bank of the Ozarks President Steve Mullins gave Dolly Henley a check for $500 to go into that fund Wednesday.
The Hempstead/Lafayette County Single Parents Scholarship Fund was established to provide incentive scholarships to economically disadvantaged single parents who are enrolled in a post-secondary education institution; to general financial resources for scholarship funds, and to create public awareness of the educational needs of impoverished single parents.
The local board is made up of area citizens who have an interest in serving single parents through a scholarship program providing funds to help students finish a post-secondary education.
Several scholarship eligibility requirements are in place, including that the student be a resident of Hempstead or Lafayette Counties in Arkansas for at least 30 days preceding the deadline for submission of completed application.
Also, the student must be the single head of household and never married, separated, divorced, or widowed with legal custody and sole responsibility of one or more children under the age of 18; pursuing a career-oriented course of study, either full or part time, to ensure a better standard of living for his/her family; be a low-income person at or near the poverty level, and be a recipient of, or in the process of obtaining a Pell Grant.
The Single Parent Scholarship Program has been outstanding in our two counties in providing funds for students to return to school to earn a degree or technical certificate to help them provide for their children by entering the workforce with a skill or getting a better paying job, Henley said.
Through the support of local businesses and individuals plus the University of Arkansas at Hope Fish Fry fundraiser, we are able to take our local funds and double those funds through a matching grant program of the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund and help students achieve their educational dream, Henley said in a statement.
