The Solution Partners division of the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) today announced it will once again increase the number of scholarships it presents to the children of industry workers each year. This year the number of $2,500 awards was increased from eight to 10; next year the group will begin awarding 12 scholarships annually.
Last year the group also raised the amount of each award from $2,000 to $2,500. Eight of the scholarships will continue to be awarded based on financial need and academic merit. The remaining four will be awarded based on academic merit alone.
The 2019 scholarship recipients will be announced later this month.
“The scholarship selection committee was overwhelmed by the number of qualified candidates it reviewed this year,” explains Solution Partners Chairman Barrett Plasman. “The committee recommended increasing the merit-based awards to four to help even more students reach their academic goals.”
With the additional two scholarships approved this week by the division’s Board of Directors, the total value of the annual scholarships is now $30,000.
The Solution Partners Scholarship Program is among the educational initiatives supported by the group’s Annual Education Golf Tournament, slated this year for Sept. 18 at Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, NC. Sponsorship information is at www.ahfa.us.
“The tournament receives widespread and enthusiastic support from our Solution Partners members, and we are thrilled that this has enabled the scholarship program to grow,” said Solution Partners Executive Director Mary O’Keeffe. “It remains the only scholarship program in the home furnishings industry that specifically supports our workers by helping them fund a college education for their children.”
Eligible applicants are students age 21 or younger who are enrolled in or planning to enroll in a four-year college or university, a community college or a technical school. Applicants must have a parent working full-time at an AHFA member company. Students may reapply for the scholarship each year they are in school, provided a parent remains employed full-time at an AHFA member company.
Since the program began in 1990, nearly 100 scholarships have been awarded, and 44 different AHFA member companies in 18 states have had scholarship recipients. More information on the scholarship program is available at http://www.ahfa.us/solution-partners-scholarship-program/.
