Scholarship Application

Review Details and submit your application

The scholarship is designed to assist deserving local high school seniors who are motivated and have post-secondary education plans for the Fall of 2026. For scholarship eligibility, students must complete the application below and meet the following requirements (attachments are required as described).

· Participation in school leadership activities and/or extra-curricular programs and strong volunteer/charitable service record.

· Overall GPA of 2.5 or better (copy of current transcript or report card required)

· Participation in school leadership activities and/or extra-curricular programs and strong volunteer/charitable service record.

· Two letters of recommendation from your high school counselors or teachers (submitted on high school letterhead), church leader, or mentor.

· 500–750 word typed essay (PDF or Word document format) answering the following question. Please note, use of AI in answering this prompt is prohibited.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination took place on Thursday, April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King penned this quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Share your reaction to this quote and provide at least two ways you can fight against the spread of hate and encourage love for others in your community.pt or report card required) In addition to the above requirements, all students must complete a photo release waiver with their applications. Please download and obtain the appropriate signatures before uploading it with your application documents.

In addition to the above requirements, all students must complete a photo release waiver with their applications. Please download and obtain the appropriate signatures before uploading it with your application documents.

The Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy family, YMCA of Central Florida, the Southwest Orlando Jaycees, and other community partners will award multiple Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Scholarships on the basis of academic performance, essay content, volunteerism efforts, participation in school leadership activities, and/or extracurricular programs. All essays will be reviewed by the Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Scholarship Committee.

Please ensure that all required documents are included with your submission, as incomplete applications cannot be saved. Only fully completed scholarship applications with all necessary attachments will be considered.