JA endows UAHT scholarship

HOPE – The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana recently established the Junior Auxiliary Kat Young Endowed Scholarship.

The scholarship is established in honor of Kat Young, one of the charter members of Junior Auxiliary (JA) in Hope, Arkansas. “JA has been such a meaningful part of my life, and I am deeply grateful to have the Hope JA scholarship named in my honor,” said Young. The Hope JA Chapter received its charter in 1961. The seven charter members, along with Young, included the late Cornelia Broach, Julia Ellis (1st President), Alice Mae Foster, Marilyn Graves, Hazel Page, and Claire Wright. “Being a charter member of the Hope Chapter of JA was a distinct privilege for me all those years ago, some sixty-nine years ago, but it does feel a bit odd to be the only surviving member of that group of wonderful women. That group of women came together to serve the community in a constructive, organized manner to make life better for those less fortunate than themselves.”

Junior Auxiliary is a group of women who desire to make a lasting difference in their communities by meeting the needs of its citizens, especially the children. Chapters all over the southeast develop and administer hands-on projects that embody the organization’s slogan, Care Today-Character Tomorrow. “Some early projects of the Hope Chapter were general welfare projects such as providing food and clothing for needy children, sponsoring designated children at the Arkansas Children’s Colony, Camp Pow Wow (a summer camp for disabled children and adults), bringing the Artmobile for school children from the Arkansas Art Center, organizing and staffing an unused elementary school library, acting as the sponsoring agency for the Arkansas Symphony to bring performances to Hope, providing tutors for students as requested by teachers, and providing scholarships to vo-tech students,” said Young. “The Hope Chapter was also instrumental in creating Hempstead County United Way and the Arts Council, providing board members in the early days of those organization.”

“Many additional projects have developed from the early years, some have grown, and some have been turned over to other groups to manage,” said Young. “But through it all, Hope JA continues to thrive, and our community is better for it. I am so proud of our chapter today for the work it does and for the members who hold full-time jobs yet still dedicate their time to help others who are less fortunate. Dedication such as this is the key to the success of Junior Auxiliary.”

If you are interested in supporting local scholarships that JA awards each year, please purchase tickets to the 56th annual JA Spaghetti Supper on September 18th at Hempstead Hall in Hope, Arkansas.

For more information, contact Anna Powell at 870-722-8516 or anna.powell@uacch.edu.

Back row:  Chris Thomason, Chancellor; Marlon Ward, Mikki Curtis, Lauren Hill, Betsy Still

Front row:  Kari Rohrbaugh; Anna Powell; Megan Cox; Kat Young; Mary Berry; Lindsey Townsend