FORT SMITH — The atrium of the Holiday Inn City Center is the perfect place to dine before a night at the symphony, declared Linda Kaufenberg, executive director of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Crawford and Sebastian counties.
“It’s beautiful with the lights and Hollye [Dickinson] on the harp,” Kaufenberg said during the group’s Dec. 13 Holiday Dinner Buffet.
Nearly 50 supporters, board members and scholarship recipients gathered for the event, held just prior to the Fort Smith Symphony’s performance of Handel’s Messiah. The dinner raised roughly $5,000 toward singleparent scholarships.
Kenneth Palmer attends the Ozark campus of Arkansas Tech University on one of the fund’s stipends. He will find out Jan. 1 if he will receive a scholarship for the spring semester. If he does, he is set to graduate in another year with an associate degree in fusion technology.
“I look at this as a new opportunity,” Palmer said. “The scholarship helps me with things like clothing for my 14-year-old daughter and ... maintenance on my vehicle.”
Palmer can use the help. He puts 500 miles on his vehicle each week going to and from school. He has been unemployed since 2006, and his associate degree will allow him to work in various venues requiring welding andmetal cutting.
Palmer is just one of 66 single parents who have applied for a scholarship for the spring semester. Only 40 will be awarded. The organization has never had more than 50 applicants, so Kaufenberg is excited at the dramatic increase.
“I’ve only been here one month,” she said. “It’s amazing the stories you hear ... I have the utmost respect for the people who have children, are single parents, work full time and go to school full time - and often they have no other family.”
Guests at the event enjoyed a buffet of champagne chicken, herb-roasted pork loin, vegetables, potatoes, salad and dessert.
Northwest Profile, Pages 42 on 12/20/2009