When the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County decided to hold its first fundraising event in fall 2000, then-chairman of the board Bonnie Nickol knew just who to call â” her good friend Marge Schueck, a St. Louis native and Little Rock philanthropist who has been married to her high school sweetheart, Tom Schueck, for 43 years.
Experienced in event planning, Schueck also possessed a phenomenal invitation list filled with friends and other like-minded local philanthropists. âI immediately called the most organized, positive person I knew â” Linda Humphries,â Schueck said. âLinda brought her usual energy and enthusiasm, and before long, invitations to the first event were in the mail.â
That first fall fundraising event, held 10 years ago at Chenal Country Club and chaired by Humphries and Schueck, raised almost $14,000. Since that time, support for the organization has grown immensely. Throughout its history, the fall fundraiser has amassed about $450,000, given out as scholarships and support services to low-income single parents attending college. SPSFâs goal this year is to raise $80,000, and once again, Humphries and Schueck are at the helm of the efforts.
Named The Elegant TENth Event, this yearâs fundraiser will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, at the home of Beth and Mike Coulson. Hors dâoeuvres and cocktails will be served, and patrons can bid on a number of auction items. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased by calling 301-7774, or by visiting PulaskiSingleParents.org.
The event will honor Humphries and Schueck for their 10 years of loyal service, as well as an SPSF graduate from each of the eventâs 10 years. Vanessa Dolphin Edwards â” a graduate who spoke at the first event in 2000 â” will be a guest speaker once again. After graduation in 2000, Vanessa began work at Alltel as an accountant. She currently works at Verizon as a tax accountant supervisor.
When asked why this event is so close to her heart, Schueckâs response was simple. âIt works,â she said. âDuring the past 10 years, SPSF has provided financial assistance to 307 single parents, and 90 percent of them have completed at least one educational program or are still in school pursuing that goal. I think thatâs an amazing statistic,â she said, âespecially when you consider that these young parents are not only going to school, but also working and raising their children by themselves.â
âOne reason our program works is because it is realistically flexible,â she said. âMost of our recipients have already qualified for other grants or partial scholarships. But how can you get to class if you have no car, or canât afford childcare, or donât have a computer? Our recipients can use their scholarship for these kinds of things as well as tuition and fees. The funds are paid directly to the approved vendor.â
Schueck says that this yearâs fundraiser is especially important because they have a remarkably large group of highly qualified applicants they want to help. âWe want to help every single parent who qualifies.â $
Marge Schueck: Behind Closed Doors
Family/ Marge and her husband Tom have two children, Jennifer Schueck McCarty and Patrick Schueck, and five grandchildren: 10-year-old Caroline, six-year-old Harrison, five-year-old Mason and two-year-old twin girls, Ava and Hayden.
Hobbies/ âHmmmâ¦in order of importance: playing with my grandchildren, traveling, reading, Scrabble and girlsâ night out (see travel and Scrabble).â
Reading/ âI am an avid reader (I sometimes list that as my occupation just for fun). Iâve been a member of the JHTMBC (donât ask) for about 38 years, and Iâm the most recent member! We had a book club before book clubs were cool. Iâve just finished a very touching little novel called, âHeroic Measures.ââ
Music/ âActually, I love quiet, and in the car, Iâm pretty much an NPR junkie. But if Iâm going to be on the road a while, Iâll pop in an old Rod Stewart or Elton John CD. Sometimes Vivaldi if I need energizing.â