AgHeritage Farm Credit Services Announces 2023 Scholarship Recipients

Rebecca McGraw

AgHeritage Farm Credit Services is proud to invest annually in the education of the next generation through our scholarship program. This year, 11 scholarships are being presented – nine $1,000 Customer Scholarships, one $2,000 University Scholarship and one $1,000 Ken Shea Memorial Scholarship. We offer our congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients.

Customer Scholarship Program: The nine students receiving $1,000 Customer Scholarships from AgHeritage Farm Credit Services are: Neal Alumbaugh of McCrory High School, Ryce Bennett of Marvell Academy, Logan Bevis of Lonoke High School, Travis Lane Hardin of Sloan-Hendrix High School, William Jacks of Star City High School, Evan Johnson of Quitman High School, Harley Martin of Southside Charter High School, Anna Morgan of Monticello High School and Lauren Spoon of Stuttgart High School.

Ken Shea Memorial Scholarship: Daniel Curtis of Dumas High School is the recipient of the $1,000 Ken Shea Memorial Scholarship.

University Scholarship Program: Madison Dains of Frisco, Texas, currently attending the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, is being awarded the $2,000 University Scholarship. N

Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund Raising Scholarship Amounts

Jen

Para

Single parents can apply for the financial aid through June 15 for the Fall 2023 semester.

Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund (ASPSF) is excited to announce individual scholarship amounts will increase starting with the Fall 2023 semester.

Full-time eligible single parents can now receive $1,600 per semester, up from $1,200. Part-time students will receive a prorated amount based on the number of enrolled hours.

ASPSF is accepting scholarship applications for the Fall 2023 semester through June 15 at www.aspsf.org/applynow. Eligibility guidelines are available online at www.aspsf.org/ eligibility.

“Everything’s gotten more expensive, and the single parent scholarship doesn’t stretch as far as it used to. We know that, and we want to help,” ASPSF Executive Director Ruthanne Hill said. “We hope the increase scholarship amount will offset some of those increases.”

The Aspsf Model

ASPSF’s "scholarships" aren’t scholarships in the traditional sense. Single parent recipients receive a check they can use to pay for expenses that will help them stay in school. Awardees often use their funds for child care, laptops, tuition, etc.

Plus, ASPSF provides workshops, mentoring, and encouragement to help single parents along their journey through school, to graduation, and onto a professional job with family-supporting wages.

ASPSF awards scholarships to single parents attending school full-time, part-time, and online pursuing associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and certificate programs. Eligible applicants have a GED or high school diploma, a 2.0 GPA in past courses, and a household income typically not more than 250% of Federal Poverty Guidelines.

For more information about the nonprofit — which has awarded more than $35 million in scholarships across the state to single parents since 1990 — contact ASPSF Communications Director Jen Para at jpara@aspsf.org or 479.318.2885 N

High School Students Take Home ASUN Scholarships at Skills Competition

Jeremy Shirley

Arkansas State University-Newport at Marked Tree hosted 31 area high school students to test their skills in three competitions. Students competed in Automotive Service Technology and Computer & Networking Technology.

On March 30, 2023, students were tested on their knowledge of parts and tools used in each division as well as troubleshooting skills. Each winner received a renewable scholarship to ASU-Newport.

Automotive Service Technology Winners: Tyler Lipsey of Valley View High School took first place in Automotive Service Technology. Landon Renigar of Brookland High School won second and Clay Roemer from Brookland High School took third.

Computer Networking Technology Winners: First place in Computer Networking Technology went to Dimas Suryanto from Jonesboro High School. Second place went to Tyler Dean from Jonesboro High School.

Dean for Applied Science, Michael Nowlin said “these competitions are a fun way to challenge students, and it gives them an opportunity to test their knowledge and skills against their peers.” Students from Brookland, Buffalo Island Central, Greene County Tech, Harrisburg, Jonesboro, Nettleton, Paragould, Trumann and Valley View competed in the skills competition. N

Tuggle Joins Mortgage Team At First Community Bank

Angela Connell

First Community Bank has announced that Garrett Tuggle has been promoted to secondary mortgage originator for the organization’s home lending division. In his new role, Tuggle will guide customers through the mortgage approval process.

“I’m excited to join the outstanding team of mortgage originators at First Community Bank,” said Tuggle. “I have always been impressed with their commitment to customer service and their dedication to service. My family and friends are part of this community, just as I am. And I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to care for our communities in this capacity as a secondary mortgage originator.”

Tuggle earned his bachelor’s degree in media communications from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. With five years of experience in the banking industry, he has previously held positions at First Community Bank as a marketing assistant and merchant services account representative.

In his free time, he enjoys

BACC Ribbon Cuttings

Chris Hill spending time with family and his wolf-dogs, and working on his farm. He and his wife, Kristen, have a daughter, Lenna.

“We are very excited to bring Garrett Tuggle over to secondary mortgage,” said Amy Tuggle, senior vice president, secondary mortgage production manager for First Community Bank’s home lending division. “Garrett has been a valuable asset to our First Community Bank family, and we know he will continue to be a great addition to our growing mortgage department.”

First Community Bank’s main lobby is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The drive-thru is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

In addition to the Batesville main location, First Community Bank also has three other Batesville locations: 301 E. Main Street, 3 Eagle Mountain Boulevard, and 1 Allen Chapel Road. First Community Bank offers competitive loan and deposit products and an impressive array

The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce held back-to-back Ribbon-Cutting ceremonies for two new Network of Community Options facilities.

Network of Community Options (NCO) is a family-oriented organization working for people with developmental challenges. NCO fulfills its mission by providing services based on the core values: PRIDE — Patience, Respect and Responsibility, Integrity, Dignity, and Empowerment.

Attendees enjoyed a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at Network of Community Options' new headquarters at 555 East Main Street in Batesville.

"Network of Community Options has been proud to serve this community for over forty-nine years," said NCO Executive Director Lisa Pinkston. "We provide services for adults and children with developmental disabilities."

They also cut a ribbon at NCO's New Directions of online and electronic banking services. Some of these include mobile banking and deposits, online bill pay, online/mobile account opening and custom eAlerts.

For more information about First Community Bank, call 870-612-3400 or visit www. firstcommunity.net. N facility, located at 285 East College Street in Batesville. New Directions is an NCO adult day treatment program encouraging individuals to strive to improve all areas of their daily living skills. The New Directions curriculum includes computer skills, functional math and reading, social and communication skills, budgeting, home safety and maintenance, physical fitness, nutrition, and other activities. Learn more about Network of Community Options at networkofcommunityoptions.org.

The Chamber also held a groundbreaking ceremony for Vital Link EMS. Vital Link provides advanced life support emergency and non-emergency medical services to Independence, Izard, Stone, and surrounding counties in Arkansas. A partnership with Southside School District has provided an ideal location for this base of operations. For 40 years, Vital Link has served Independence County with emergency response, interfacility transfers, sporting events, fire stand-bys, and helping people up when they fall. Images on page 17 N