Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund’s ‘A Day of Hope’ Unveils New Award

Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF), a nonprofit helping single parents rise out of poverty through access to higher education, announced a new honor for its annual awards banquet.

The newly established Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented during A Day of Hope on Oct. 2 at the City Center, 315 N. Shackelford Road in Little Rock, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $75.

“The new Distinguished Alumni award was created to celebrate an ASPSF graduate who has completed his or her degree, pursued a career with family-supporting wages, and has given back to the ASPSF program,”  ASPSF Chief Development Officer Christine Gronwald said. “We are thrilled to honor Tikima Simpkins, a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) and admissions specialist at National Park College, with the inaugural award.”

The full list of this year’s honorees, voted on by ASPSF supporters, are:

“A Day of Hope is an opportunity for Arkansans to come together and celebrate single parent students and those who champion their success,” ASPSF CEO Jenn Morehead said. “Attendees will witness how education creates multigenerational change, transforming lives for both single parents and their children.”

Lisa Fischer — former radio personality and on-air reporter, and current host of the “Lisa Fischer Said” podcast — will deliver an emotional keynote about her experiences growing up as the daughter of a single mom. Fox 16 News’ Donna Terrell will emcee. 

Along with Fischer and Terrell, attendees will hear from scholarship recipient Takida Jester and alumna Carrie Terry. Jester is a single mom of three from Little Rock, working at Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield while studying for a bachelor’s in health care management. Terry graduated from UAFS in 2021 and is a community outreach coordinator for OGE Energy Corp.

In its third year, the statewide ASPSF luncheon was renamed in a nod to past event A Night of Hope, held in Little Rock for many years to raise funds for single parent students in Pulaski County. Proceeds from this year’s event will support the nonprofit’s scholarship program in 69 counties in Arkansas, including Bowie County, Texas. 

To purchase tickets or learn more about becoming a sponsor, visit aspsf.org/hope.