Foundation Scholarship Program
 

Richard Kevin Saunders of Sully’s Tool & Party Rental, Akron, Ohio, owned by his parents, Michelle and Richard Saunders, received the top scholarship worth $3,000. He also received a $750 ARA of Ohio scholarship, giving him a total of $3,750 in scholarship funds. He is grateful for the scholarships.“Receiving these scholarships allows me the freedom to pursue my passion without the weight of student loans on my mind,” says Saunders, who will be a senior this year studying accounting at Ohio State University in Columbus. After college, Saunders plans to work at the business full time.

Matthew P. Sweeney of ABC Rental Center, Parma Heights, Ohio, whose stepfather, Andrew Zatik Jr., is one of the owners, is a senior studying illustration. Matthew received an ARA undergraduate scholarship worth $2,000, the ARA Insurance scholarship worth $2,500, and an ARA of Ohio scholarship worth $750, giving him a total of $5,250 in schoalrship funds. “This Foundation scholarship will assist me in meeting my goal of achieving a B.A. degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Specifically, it will assist me in becoming proficient in design, illustrating and computer researching.”

Since it began in 1976, the ARA Foundation has supported the rental industry’s educational needs by offering scholarships. In the early days, these were for improving the business and technical skills of those in the rental industry. As times have changed, so has the scholarship program.
 

ARA Foundation Scholarships

Applications for the 2012/2013 scholarship program were due on March 3.

Watch for an announcement of the recipients in early May.

More on the scholarship program
 

The Leonard Hawk Founders Scholarship

The top scholarship applicant is awarded the $3,000 Leonard Hawk Founders Scholarship, named in honor of the American Rental Association's founding president.
 
More information on the Leonard Hawk Founders Scholarship
 

Affiliate Scholarships

The Foundation administers scholarships for ARA Insurance Services, ARA of California, ARA of Michigan, ARA of North Carolina, ARA of Ohio, the Texas Rental Association, the Bill Loomer Houston Area Rental Association Scholarship for the Texas Rental Association, the Ron Marshall Scholarships for ARA Region Two, and the Doug Mitchell Scholarship and Dorothy Wellnitz Scholarship for ARA Region 10/Canada.

Further details on affiliate scholarship programs
 

ARA Foundation Scholarship Policy

The ARA Foundation board of trustees created a statement on scholarship programs.
 
More information on the ARA Foundation scholarship policy