In the hours and days after a disaster, the needs are obvious – people need food, water, shelter, clothing. In the months and years that follow, it’s not always as clear how to help. Thirteen months after the April 2014 tornadoes that blighted Vilonia and Mayflower, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Arkansas Community Foundation is supporting long-term recovery efforts through our Faulkner County Disaster Recovery Fund. The Faulkner County Disaster Recovery Fund provides a way for companies and individuals to continue to give support of the long-term recovery of communities affected by the April 2014 tornadoes.

Recently $55,000 contributed to the fund by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation was divided evenly between theVilonia Disaster Recovery Alliance  and the Mayflower Interfaith Partners Alliance.

Those two organizations received initial grants from the Community Foundation back in December of 2014. But as long-term recovery committees, they have the job of soldiering on in the wake of this disaster long after the news of the day and the attention of most of us has shifted away.

Both Vilonia Disaster Recovery Alliance and the Mayflower Interfaith Partners Alliance also have received FEMA grants, and their primary function is to help people rebuild their homes beyond the amount paid by homeowners insurance and FEMA grants.

In Vilonia and Mayflower, hundreds of donors and volunteers have helped these long-term recovery organizations repair and rebuild homes and businesses and restore the towns’ infrastructure to help life return to normal.

Across our state, when disaster strikes, Arkansans count on each other to pull together and restore our communities. We’re proud to be a partner in disaster recovery to help donors direct their charitable dollars to the people rebuilding our towns from the ground up.

Here are eight things you should remember when submitting an application for any scholarship online:

1. Read carefully. Make sure you qualify for all aspects of the scholarship before you begin the application process. Most scholarships have specific eligibility requirements; whether that includes your geographical location or the activities you participated in during high school.
2. Documentation. Make sure you supply all of the documents that the scholarship application requires. A lot of times, students submit applications with the wrong information OR the documents don’t upload correctly when the committee tries to review your submission. Making sure everything is correct on the front-end ensures an easy reviewing process on the back-end. When students pay attention to detail, it matters.
3. Be prepared. Almost all scholarships request the same things: transcript, ACT/SAT scores (copy of document supplied by testing company), and 2 letters of recommendations. Having these things prepared for when you begin the application process will save you time and energy that is better spent on those questions requiring deeper thought.
4. Letters of Recommendation. These are important! They will help create a picture of who you are as an individual. Make sure you select someone who knows you well and who can provide the necessary information that is most relevant to the scholarship you’re applying for. Give them plenty of notice; don’t wait until you need it.
5. Start your application TODAY. You can start your application and save it in draft form. Sometimes it helps to work on the outline first, and come fill in the rest later. Just be mindful of the deadline.
6. Follow the instructions. Does the application require two letters of recommendation? Then you should submit two. Does the application require a handwritten essay that amounts to three pages in length? Make sure that’s what you provide. Half the battle of applying for scholarships is paying attention to detail – committees that review applications are scoring you on this.
7. Grammar matters. Capitalization, punctuation, tenses, etc. – make sure you proofread your document before you submit it! Grab a friend, teacher, or parent to help you with this. Often times, students are docked points because of small oversights such as grammar. Don’t let this be you.
8. Reach out for help. There’s no harm in asking questions. Reach out to find help and make sure you understand everything correctly. It will usually pay off in the long-run.