ASPSF receives MLK Acts of Kindness Commitment to Service Award

ASPSF Program Director LaCresha Newton (from left), Program Manager Sandra Warren, and Executive Director Ruthanne Hill celebrated with the Texarkana community.

Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) was honored Jan. 28 at the Ozan-Inghram Iron Mountain Neighborhood Development Corporation’s 20th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Celebration Gala at Texarkana College.

The corporation selected the nonprofit for the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Acts of Kindness Commitment to Service Award based on ASPSF’s ethical conduct, integrity, and civic and social responsibility to the local community.

“I thank you for this kind award, for your six years of financial support and partnership, and for the many members of your group who share their time and talents to enrich our program for single parents, including Tenequa Martin, Lee Williams, Marvin Warren, Ashley Childs, and Dr. Robert Jones,” said ASPSF Board Vice President Sharmane Andrews of Simmons Bank, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

ASPSF Board Vice President Sharmane Andrews (right) accepts the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Acts of Kindness Commitment to Service Award from Morgan Warren. 

Since 2019, ASPSF Program Manager Sandra Warren and her volunteers have awarded about 250 scholarships to low-income single parents in Miller and Bowie counties and nearby areas.

Over the past decade, about 1,300 single parents have benefited from ASPSF’s services, including more than $1.1 million in financial aid. With new degrees and certifications, these single parents start professional careers that bring their entire family out of poverty. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Texarkana community.

“As Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be,’” Andrews said. “By helping single parents become what they are meant to be, we’re building a stronger community for everyone.”

Six others were honored at the gala for their community work: Derrick McGary and State Farm Insurance; Evelyn Abhulimen and Packages of Love; Texarkana College; City of Texarkana Arkansas Director Terry Roberts; Apostle Dennis Cook; and Antonio Williams. ASPSF congratulates them for their incredible efforts in Southwest Arkansas.

For more information about ASPSF and the gala, contact ASPSF Program Manager Sandra Warren at swarren@aspsf.org or 870-330-7371.

Seven organizations and individuals were honored at the gala.