Betty Joe Conner Memorial Scholarship Fund

"This scholarship is in honor of Betty Joe Conner. It is designed to continue her mission to mentor and help young girls reach their goals in life through education. Ms. Betty worked as a cosmetologist for decades and was a proud business owner. She grew up very poor, but she had ambition and a dream. She moved to Little Rock on faith and a mission to succeed. She later built a thriving business in the John Barrow community, 'Betty’s Beauty Bazaar & Barber Express.' Ms. Betty touched many lives and passed on her knowledge and faith to anyone who would listen. She went on to establish the 'Back to School Bash' which provided free hair styling, haircuts, backpacks, school supplies, and more to children in the community so they could start school looking good and equipped with everything they needed. Over the years, it grew to the point that there wasn't enough room for all the children. Consequently, Ms. Betty partnered with Parkview High School to use it as a staging facility. She enlisted the help of many sponsors and others who helped hundreds of kids over the course of 10 years. The Betty Joe Conner Memorial Fund will award a minimum of $1,500 to a qualifying African American young lady graduating from Parkview High School in Little Rock, AR. It will help pay for a 2- to 4-year university or cosmetology school of her choice."