SALISBURY – Salisbury-Rowan PFLAG will offer seven $1,000 scholarships to Rowan County students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender or as a straight ally to the LGBT community.

The scholarship, formerly known as the Founder’s Equality Scholarship, is now named the Ralph Ketner-Bill Stanback Equality Scholarship in honor of the two Salisbury businessmen and philanthropists.

“Mr. Ketner and Mr. Stanback have been great supporters and benefactors of our chapter and scholarship fund for over a decade,” said Carol Williams-Swoope, vice president of the local chapter. “Both men embody the spirit of a ‘PFLAG dad’ and share the mission and vision of PFLAG. We are proud to be able to honor them in this way,”

The Salisbury-Rowan chapter will select a winner of these scholarships:

• Anne Stanback-Charlotte Kinlock Scholarship, named for Salisbury native Anne Stanback and her wife, Charlotte Kinlock.

• Ralph Ketner-Bill Stanback Equality Scholarship.

• Linda Ketner Community Service Scholarship, named for Salisbury native Linda Ketner.

• 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.

• Salisbury Pride-Scotty Ray Gilbert Scholarship, named in memory of Scotty Ray Gilbert, Salisbury Pride’s former entertainment director.

• Roger and Linda Hull Scholarship, given in honor of the Hulls’ gay son.

• Russell E. Hellekson Jr. Scholarship, named in memory of the accomplished musician.

The seven scholarships are offered to all Rowan County public, private and home-schooled seniors as well as Rowan County Early College students.

“Through the success of its annual scholarship fundraisers and with the generosity of some committed benefactors and supporters, Salisbury-Rowan PFLAG is pleased to be able to offer these seven scholarships,” said Mike Clawson, chairman of the scholarship advisory committee. “Our scholarships are unique in that students do not have to be attending a traditional four-year 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.”

Scholarship applications are available at all seven local high schools’ guidance offices. They can also be downloaded at the Salisbury Pride website, www.salisburypride.org. The deadline to submit applications is April 20. All candidates will be notified of the outcome by May 15.

For questions, contact Clawson at 704-213-0181 or salisburypflag@gmail.com.

PFLAG is the nation’s 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 400 chapters throughout the United States, including 18 North Carolina chapters.

PFLAG is formerly known as Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

The local chapter was founded in January 2006 and was the first organization in North Carolina to award scholarships specifically to LGBT persons and their straight allies. In the nine years since its inception in 2007, the Salisbury-Rowan PFLAG Scholarship Foundation has awarded 44 $1,000 scholarships to Rowan County students.