Four $1,000 PFLAGscholarships available
Salisbury/ Rowan Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) will offer four $1,000 scholarships for area gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and/ or their straight allies for academic year 2012-13.
PFLAG is the nationís foremost family-based organization committed to the civil and social rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. Founded in 1973 by mothers and fathers of gay and lesbian children, PFLAG has 220,000 members in more than 500 chapters throughout the United States, including 18 North Carolina chapters. The local Salisbury/ Rowan PFLAG chapter was founded in January 2006 and was one of the first organizations in North Carolina to award scholarships specifically to GLBT persons and their straight allies.
The group will once again select a winner of the Anne Stanback-Charlotte Kinlock Scholarship, named for Salisbury native Anne Stanback and her wife, Charlotte Kinlock; the Founderís Equality Scholarship, named in honor of Michael Clawson, founder of the Salisbury/ Rowan PFLAG chapter; the Linda Ketner Community Service Scholarship, named for Salisbury native Linda Ketner; and the Bob Page-Dale Frederiksen Business Scholarship, named in honor of Bob Page, the founder and CEO of Replacements, Ltd. in Greensboro, and his life partner, Dale Frederiksen.
The four scholarships are offered to all Rowan County public, private and home-schooled seniors.
ěThrough the wonderful success of its annual scholarship fundraiser, The Autumn SoirČe, and with the generosity of some committed benefactors and supporters, Salisbury-Rowan PFLAG is pleased to be able to offer these four scholarships,î said Carol Williams-Swoope, chair of the scholarships advisory committee, noting that ěour scholarships are unique in that students do not have to be attending a four- year traditional college to apply. We encourage anyone planning to attend a community college or trade school, including cosmetology or culinary school for example, to apply for one of our scholarships as well.î
ěThis year, the Salisbury-Rowan PFLAG executive committee and the scholarships advisory committee are pleased to announce that we have partnered with the Salisbury Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Foundation For The Carolinas to maintain the chapterís scholarship fund,î said Mike Clawson, president of the local chapter. ěBy having a separate scholarship fund with the foundation, we will have access to their investment options as well as a vehicle to help our fund grow into an endowed scholarship fund that can support multiple annual scholarships for youth in our county. We are excited about his partnership and look forward to seeing our fund grow,î he added.
Scholarship applications are available at all seven local high school guidance offices or their respective websites or download from the Salisbury-Rowan PFLAG website at www.salisbury-pflag.org. The deadline to submit application is March 14, 2012, and all candidates will be notified of the outcome by April 14, 2012.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the scholarships administrator, Carol Williams-Swoope, at 704-212-2215 or cwilliams138@carolina.rr.com .
To learn more, please visit www.pflag.org or www.salisbury-pflag.org