Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund, or ASPSF, congratulates the Fall 2022 Arkansas Northeastern College scholarship recipients.
Thanks to the support of local donors and state funding, ASPSF awarded scholarships to 61 single parents pursuing associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and skilled-trade certificates across Northeast Arkansas. Two of those recipients were from Lawrence County.
The single parents were honored at two awards ceremonies hosted at Word Baptist Church in Jonesboro on Oct. 8 and Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville on Oct. 11. Local volunteers Shana Pierce and LaShay Robinson assisted with the event in Jonesboro and Denese Bogard assisted with the event in Blytheville. A special thanks to Word Baptist Church and ANC for hosting the events, the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library for setting up a table and providing information at the Jonesboro ceremony and Southern Bancorp for providing refreshments, merchandise and information at the Blytheville ceremony.
The Single Parent Scholarship was awarded to Kristienia Law and M. Harris from Lawrence County.
ASPSF’s flexible scholarship of up to $1,200 helps low-income single parents pay for the biggest financial obstacles to obtaining a degree that leads to a career with family-supporting wages. The monetary aid is paired with mentoring, financial instruction, and career coaching — the soft skill training that transforms students into sought-after employees.
Over the past decade, the nonprofit has distributed more than $1.2 million in scholarships to over 1,300 single parents in the ASPSF Northeast Region. In 2021 alone, the Northeast Region awarded nearly $250,000 in scholarships to 144 single parents, who showed their 259 children that higher education is within reach.
This investment not only strengthens communities with viable economic impact but also emboldens entire families to imagine a brighter future.
For more information about Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund — which has awarded more than $30 million in scholarships across the state to single parents since 1990 — contact ASPSF Program Manager Carrie Allen at callen@aspsf.org or 870-345-4681.
About Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund: For more than 30 years, Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund has worked to create stronger, more educated, and more self-sufficient families. Through scholarships and services, ASPSF opens doors for low-income single parents, helping them pursue education, secure employment, and transform the future for their families. With the help of volunteers and community support, ASPSF creates multi generational change, transforming lives for both single parents and their children. For information about scholarships, volunteer opportunities, and ways to give, visit www.aspsf.org.
Student Kristienia Law receives her certificate and check at an Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship awards reception on Oct. 11 held at Word Baptist Church. (Photo Courtesy ASPSF)
Student M. Harris receives her certificate and check at an Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship awards reception on Oct. 11 held at Word Baptist Church. (Photo Courtesy ASPSF)