Community | GivingJune 11, 2025

UAFS Students Earn Boys and Girls Club Scholarships

Eleven University of Arkansas – Fort Smith students received scholarships at the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs 2025-2026 College Scholarship luncheon, hosted in the Reynolds Room at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith on Monday, June 9, 2025.

The UAFS Foundation program offers a 100% first-year match to all recipients attending UAFS, meaning FSBGC scholarship recipients double their scholarships when they attend the university.

Blake Rickman, vice chancellor for University Advancement and executive director of the UAFS Foundation and former “Club Kid” and scholarship recipient gave the keynote speech at the luncheon, highlighting the importance of investing in the futures of River Valley youth.

“I’ve seen firsthand the impact a scholarship can have. I received the June and Jim Alexander Memorial Scholarship, and it was vital to my ability to pay for college,” Rickman said. “I now have the privilege of working every day, in my hometown, to make that same impact possible for students at UAFS.”

“At the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential,” said Beth Presley, CEO of the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs. “Thanks to the generous support of our donors, our college scholarship program is helping to remove financial barriers and open doors to higher education. These scholarships are more than just funding—they are a vote of confidence in the bright futures of our youth.”

The Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs scholarship program, started in 1985, has awarded more than $1.1 million in scholarships to 404 individual club members. For the 2025-2026 academic year, FSBGC awarded $64,100 in scholarships to 32 recipients, including 10 new recipients and 22 renewal recipients. Of those, eleven will attend UAFS.

Scholarships are awarded based on a variety of factors including Boys & Girls Clubs participation, academic excellence, and financial need. The program is one of the largest of any Boys & Girls Clubs organization in the country.

Students attending UAFS include:

• Ian Caldarera is an assistant basketball coach for first and second graders at the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs. He will be a freshman at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he plans to study business. He is a graduate of Northside High School with a 3.8 GPA. He received the Dave and Danielle Dixon Scholarship.
  
  
• Jude Daniels, a 2025 Youth of the Year nominee, has been a Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs member for 11 years and serves as a volunteer soccer referee. He will be a freshman at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he plans to study business and finance. He is a graduate of Southside High School with a 3.7 GPA. He received the June and Jim Alexander Memorial Scholarship.
  
  
• Drake Grimm has been a Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs member for 12 years, where he played basketball and ran the scoreboard at the Goldtrap-Gardner Unit. He currently works as a youth development professional at the Evans Unit. He will be a freshman at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he plans to study business. He is a graduate of Southside High School with a 3.5 GPA. He received the Coach Bill and Jean Crowder Memorial Scholarship and the Vicki Jones Memorial Scholarship.
  
  
• Elijah Kareus has been a Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs member for nine years. He will be a freshman at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he plans to study education. He is a graduate of Southside High School with a 3.9 GPA. He received the Steven D. Jenkins Memorial Scholarship.
  
  
• Cameron Massey has been a Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs member for 12 years and has participated in the club’s basketball and football programs since 2013. He will be a freshman at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he plans to study education. He is a graduate of Northside High School with a 3.9 GPA. He received the Molly and Jack Grober Memorial Scholarship.
  
  
• Dominic Parkinson, a 2025 Youth of the Year nominee, has been a Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs member for 13 years at the Goldtrap Unit. He participated in the after-school program and later became a Rinky Dink basketball coach. He will be a freshman at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he plans to study criminology and welding. He is a graduate of Southside High School with a 3.6 GPA. He received the Sean Amos Memorial Scholarship.
  
  
• Miles Selby has been a Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs member for eight years. He participated in basketball and football and served as a volunteer athletic coach during his senior year. He will be a freshman at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, where he plans to study education. He is a graduate of Southside High School with a 4.24 GPA. He received the June and Jim Alexander Memorial Scholarship.
  
  
• Valerie Alvarado-Mora currently works at the Stephens Unit as a youth development professional. She is a sophomore at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, majoring in dental hygiene. She is a graduate of Northside High School. She received the Wade Walker Family Scholarship.
  
  
• Addi Branham, the 2022 Evans Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year, is a senior at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, majoring in dental science. She received the Kate and Hugh Maurras Scholarship and the Savers Scholarship.
  
  
• Kaiden Kuykendall is a junior at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, majoring in mechanical engineering. He received the Janice H. and Robert M. Powell Scholarship.
  
  
• Brennen Linson is a junior at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, majoring in finance. He received the Robert A. Young IV Memorial Scholarship.