You likely know the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) is famous for helping single parents, but did you realize its program is actually good for all of us?
This year, ASPSF will award $420,000 to local, low-income, single parent students. The parents then spend these flexible scholarship checks locally in ways that help their families while helping the rest of us, too.
Here are six ways investing in single parent students is good for all of us:
1. Good for retail: Single parent students spend their scholarships and paychecks at local businesses for groceries, gas, school supplies and clothes for their growing kids.
2. Good for the service sector: From haircuts and nail salons to doctor and dentist appointments, ASPSF students now have money for things they struggled to afford previously.
3. Good for banks: Previously unbanked students open bank accounts and — with more money in their hands — utilize other banking products such as savings accounts and CDs.
4. Good for schools: With ASPSF’s help, single parents are more likely to stay in school, which increases the enrollment and retention numbers for our local colleges. Plus, children of single parents see firsthand why education is important. Their grades and attendance improve, and they begin planning for their own education beyond high school.
5. Good for employers: Single parents are highly motivated and eager to go to work. Investing in an educated workforce helps employers across dozens of professional fields hire qualified and dependable employees.
6. Great for the local economy: As funds circulate throughout the economy, ASPSF’s central Arkansas program creates an economic impact of approximately $4.2 million annually.
Give today and invest in single parent students by visiting aspsf.org.