Scholarship honors charter member of Junior Auxiliary in Hope
The University of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana recently established the Junior Auxiliary Kat Young Endowed Scholarship in honor of Young, one of the charter members of JA in Hope, Ark.
“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,” Young said in a press release.
The Hope JA chapter received its charter in 1961.
The seven charter members, along with Young, included the late Cornelia Broach, Julia Ellis (who also served as the chapter’s first 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 69 years ago, but it does feel a bit odd to be the only surviving member of that group of wonderful women,” she said.
“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 work to make a lasting difference in their communities by meeting the needs of citizens, especially children. Chapters all over the Southeast develop and administer hands-on projects that embody the organization’s slogan, Care TodayCharacter 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,” Young said.
“The Hope chapter also instrumental in creating Hempstead County United Way and the Arts Council, providing board members in the early days of those organizations.”
She added that many additional projects have developed from the early years, some have grown and some have been turned over to other groups to manage.
“But through it all, Hope JA continues to thrive, and our community is better for it,” she said. “I am so proud of our chapter today for the work it does and for the members who hold fulltime 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.”
Those interested supporting local JA scholarships can purchase tickets to the 56th annual JA Spaghetti Supper, to be held Sept. 18 at Hempstead Hall in Hope.
For more information, contact Anna Powell at 870-722-8516 or anna.powell@uacch.edu.