New Hope AME Church at Sherrill has proven over the years that, “Small Can Make A Difference with Help.”
The church will prove that again this year with its annual scholarship program, which will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday.
New Hope is a small church with 10 members. However, assistance has allowed them to assist approximately 435 students with over $390,000 and endowment of $130,421 has been established. Their goal for the endowment is $250,000. The endowment is for students in the field of agriculture, fisheries and human sciences. The Young Adult Sunday School Class felt that agriculture is vital to our society and wanted to establish a fund to assist long after they are gone. They received $6,230 interest from the endowment this year.
Linda L. Okiror, assistant dean in the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, said the church “has managed to contribute over $125,000 to an endowment fund in the UAPB Foundation, from which scholarships are paid.”
“The New Hope Scholarship fund has contributed in many untold ways to support the many financially needy undergraduate students from across Arkansas, across the United States and from several foreign countries,” Okiror said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
New Hope’s scholarship is two-fold. The endowment recipients receive only the interest of the endowment fund. However, the other recipients receive assistance from scholarship funds solicited.
BRAVE, a local black firefighters association, has partnered with New Hope and will present three $500 scholarships and one $1,236 endowed scholarship.
A $500 scholarship will be given to Stanford T. Nettles, a fisheries major from Peterman, Ala., in the memory of the late Gordon Taylor of Pennsylvania, who had completed one year of his studies toward a master’s degree in aquaculture and fisheries at UAPB. Also, $500 will be given to the single parent organization for its recipients who attend UAPB.
This year’s scholarship program will be dedicated to the Rev. Clark Thomas, pastor of New Salem Baptist Church at Sherrill.
Michael J. Bates, director of the UAPB Vesper Choir, expressed his gratitude to the members of New Hope AME Church.
“The cost of receiving a college education continues to rise, so it has been a blessing for our students to receive the scholarships from New Hope and BRAVE,” Bates said.
Scholarship recipients include:
• Larhondra Washington
• Xavier Kirklin
• Eric Wilkins
• Martika White
• Ryan Jordan
• Kieona Culclager
• Morneice Jordan
• Standord T. Nettles
• Kendall Babin of Houston
• Randall Hill of Memphis, Tenn.
• Brandon Black of Kansas City, Mo.
• Steven Howard Jr. of Camden
• Elena Murphy of St. Louis
• Brandom Brook of Chicago
• Jonathan Thomas of Chicago
• Single Parent
Endowment recipients include:
• Colleen Bohannon (human sciences) — $1,236
• Earlisher Young (agriculture) — $1,236
• Kimberly Price (agriculture) — $1,236
• Brittani Stone (agriculture) — $1,236
• Kamaria Pearson (fisheries) — $935
• Jamie Wesley (fisheries) — $311