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At least five Mountain Home Aviation Science students will pick up scholarships toward aerospace industry careers this year, thanks to a growing list of local donors to the Leading Edge Aviation Foundation.
Two more businesses joined that list this month. Farmers & Merchants Bank donated $1,000 and Freeman Holdings of Arkansas added $5,000 to the four scholarship types LEAF awards each year.
Winners of the graduate scholarships will be announced May 12 at the Senior Awards Night event at Dunbar Auditorium. Winners of the summer aviation science camp scholarships, awarded in January for students in grades 6 through 11, will soon leave for their chosen programs.
Annual donors return
Farmers & Merchants Bank and Freeman Holdings of Arkansas are consistent annual donors to LEAF and are part of what the foundation calls its “LIFT Force” of recurring contributors.
Other donors who contributed earlier this year include Jay Chafin State Farm, the Corson Family Foundation, the Dabney Family Foundation, and Mary and Bob Walker.
Bank president Sally Gilbert presented the Farmers & Merchants Bank check at the high school’s Bomber monument, joined by Kelly Haney, Billy Thompson, Shonda Litty and Katie Shay Schneider.
Foundation directors Gerald Gaige and David Dover accepted the funds. They were joined by Drew Dickinson, a past LEAF scholarship recipient now finishing his first year at Ozarka College, where he is pursuing a Commercial Piloting degree.
A growing pool of recipients
The list of students who have benefited from LEAF scholarships since 2022 has grown too long to print, according to the foundation.
A unique feature of the LEAF scholarships is that recipients can renew them in subsequent years if they meet performance standards. This year’s winners will begin their studies while some prior recipients are entering their third year of education in military and civilian aviation career tracks.
The Aviation STEM courses are open to students in grades 9 through 12. Students in any area of study are eligible to compete for any LEAF scholarship.
How to give
LEAF is a 501(c)(3) charity, and donations are tax deductible. Businesses or individuals interested in joining the LIFT Force can call 870-656-6005 or email [email protected]. More information is available at www.leadingedgeaviationfoundation.org.
