Scholarships
Building bridges to independence for Arkansans with autism
The Arkansas Autism Foundation offers two educational scholarships on a yearly basis and will continually grow them in both size and scope as our fundraising allows.
Marley Mencer II Memorial Scholarship
The Arkansas Autism Foundation is proud to name this scholarship in memory of Marley Mencer II who passed away suddenly in September of 2021. Marley was the husband of Annette Mencer and father of Maggie and Andrew Mencer. Annette and Maggie both serve as board members of AAF and Annette is one of our founding members.
This scholarship will be presented to a student who is pursuing a career that will serve the autism and disability community. The scholarship may be used for tuition, fees, books and room and board at an accredited institution for higher learning and is available up to $1000.00. We will accept submissions from July 1st to August 15th and recipients will be notified within two weeks of deadline.
Joy’s Memorial Scholarship
Joy Agarwal was born on November 3, 2004. He was a sweet, charming, cheerful boy, diagnosed with non-verbal autism. Despite challenges with communication, Joy connected to those around him with a disarming smile and unique sense of humor. He brought joy to his father, family, friends, therapists, teachers, and all who had the pleasure of meeting him. Sadly, Joy passed away very unexpectedly in March 2022. His memory and legacy lives on, however, in all of us who remember his sweet smile, gentle personality, and enthusiasm to participate in all therapies, classes and programs.
To honor his memory, we are establishing an annual “Joy Scholarship,” open to anyone on the spectrum of all abilities, or their family members.
We will accept submissions from July 1st to August 15th and recipients will be notified within two weeks of deadline. The award is a $500.00 scholarship.
