LYNDA'S STORY

It takes a special person to believe in the potential of the 'down and out'.  That is the spirit of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund - believing in others and helping them to achieve a better future. Many lives have been touched through your generosity of time, encouragement and financial support.

For years I was a homemaker with four beautiful daughters. I was active in PTA and volunteered frequently at their school. At night I made dinner, gave baths and read bedtime stories or supervised homework. We had a nice home with a pool, rental property and Wal-Mart stock. On Easter I made us all matching dresses. We took vacations in the summer.

In 1996 our lives changed drastically as I found myself faced with providing for my young daughters as a divorced single mother. All assets were lost. Except for my children and my determination to care for them I had nothing. I was burdened with guilt because working to pay the bills took all my energy and time. School clothing and entertainment were luxuries I couldn't afford. I had to focus on being the breadwinner instead of a full time mother. I later learned I had become a 'displaced homemaker'.

For several years I struggled along, not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. Then in 2001 Single Parent Scholarship Fund came into our lives. SPSF/BC enabled me to change my focus from limitations to possibilities. In May of 2003 I received my AA Degree from NWACC, Summa Cum Laude. In May of 2004, I received my BS in Adult Vocational Education/Human Resources from the University of Arkansas and in 2006 a Masters in Adult Education. It is amazing what happens when others believe in you the way SPSF/BC believed in me. You begin to believe in yourself and dream of a better future.

It is an honor to be associated with Single Parent Scholarship Fund. It has marked me with a legacy to pass on to others, that which has been granted to me - a chance to improve lives and generations.