Tastefully different Elegant TENth Event

LITTLE ROCK — It looks like a cocktail party. It sounds like a cocktail party. But it isn't just your typical cocktail party.

Just ask Jeanne Ford.

A decade ago, she was a single mother with two boys, then 13 and 7, struggling to make ends meet while going back to school to make a better life for herself and her children.

Today, she's the assistant director of nursing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, thanks in large part to the Single Parent Scholarship Fund.

Children raised by single mothers in Pulaski County are six times more likely to grow up in poverty. The fund is trying to alter those statistics by providing scholarships and support to "high-potential single parents."

Much of the money for the scholarships comes from the annual fall fundraiser party. Since this will be the 10th such party, this year's title is Elegant TENth Event.

Volunteers Linda Humphries and Marge Schueck have been organizing and planning the event since its beginning in 2000.

"They are the official party people," says the fund's executive director, Ellen Ingram. "They laid the foundation for this event that has raised almost half a million dollars."

"It's just a fascinating organization," Humphries says. "It changes people's lives. And I was just hooked from the start."

What can guests expect at the party?

"Basically, it's a cocktail party," Humphries says. "Heavy hors d'oeuvres, cocktails. It's in a nice home, usually one everyone wants to see."

Low-key, piped-in music gives everyone the chance to chat and visit and, other than the planned speeches by two or three scholarship recipients, it's a laid-back, unscheduled affair.

There are special prizes given away and a silent auction with items ranging from a package of restaurant gift certificates to a big-screen TV.

Then there's the food. Local restaurants and caterers provide plenty of samples of their signature dishes for guests to munch on and Glazer's Distributors of Arkansas provides the drinks.

The fall event not only helps finance the scholarships, it's a very important networking and educational opportunity.

"It helps us gain new friends," Ingram says.

"Every year we pick up new people," Humphries says.

"People that come usually do comeback. It's just a wonderful party. It's a wonderful event. It's a wonderful organization."

The program has been hugely successful. Over the last 10 years, the group has given assistance to 307 single parents and more than 90 percent of those have completed at least one school program.

Many of those success stories will be heard at this year's event.

Since this is the 10th year, "it's a big deal," Ingram says. In addition to the usual speakers, they plan on having as many past graduates and recipients as possible there to mingle with the guests and share their stories.

One of the things driven home by the speakers and the other recipients is the important and special role the scholarships play.

The group's scholarships aren't your typical academic financial aid. Instead of only providing money for school and school-related expenditures, they help recipients support themselves and their families while they study, paying for living expenses that might otherwise cause a student to drop out.

Ford explains, "Single Parent Scholarship could be used for anything so it paid the light bill, paid my car insurance and that was a big relief for me because I was only working part time. I was in school full time."

Scholarship recipients also receive support through a mentor program, workshops, donated computers and referrals to community resources.

Available money and financial goals have increased greatly since the first fall fundraiser.

In 2000, the event raised $14,000. This year's goal is $80,000, which Humphries calls "reachable." When this year's event is over, Ingram predicts that the fall party will have, over the 10 years, raised about $500,000.

"So," Ingram says, "you can see how successful the party has been and how much it's grown."

Because of that success, the fund has been able to grow as well, increasing the amount from $500 to $750 per semester and adding scholarships for the summer semester. This year, the fund will award about $110,000 in scholarships.

"With the success of the program we've been able to up the scholarships, which is great," Ingram says.

It's that success that guests at the Elegant TENth Event will have a chance to celebrate. With the scholarship recipients there, guests will truly see where their money is going by meeting the people who have been and are being helped by the program.

"That is truly what makes it so special," Humphries says. "It's not just a cocktail party where people come and visit with each other and leave. You really do interact with the recipients and hear their story."

Ford agrees.

"I can remember being at one of the fundraisers the year I graduated and just looking around the room and seeing some people I knew and some people I didn't know and they were willing to give their time, their money, their support to a single parent [who] otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity. If it hadn't been for the scholarship it wouldn't have happened. They played a big role. More than they really know."

The Elegant TENth Event will be 5:30-8 p.m. Sept. 24 at the home of Beth and Mike Coulson, 4 E. Palisades Drive. Tickets are $100. Visit pulaskisingleparents. org or call (501) 301-7773.