Local non-profit awards scholarships to students with learning difficulties
Perla, recent recipient of Lindamood-Bell Foundation scholarship.
Applications for 2022 open in April
– Eight students have been awarded scholarships valued at $150,000 from the Lindamood-Bell Foundation, a San Luis Obispo-based international nonprofit.
The students — ranging in age from 7 to 55 years old — come from diverse backgrounds with a range of learning strengths and weaknesses.
“Through awarding scholarships to students in need, the Lindamood-Bell Foundation is giving the gift of learning and the opportunity to be an independent learner for life,” said Angelica Benson, Executive Director of the Lindamood-Bell Foundation.
Most recently, four students with a demonstrated financial need were awarded scholarships from Bakersfield, CA, Denver, CO, Brooklyn, NY, and New York, NY.
In 2020, scholarships were awarded to four students, including two from Los Angeles, CA, one from Miami, FL, and one from Indonesia.
“We have the opportunity to make a difference and truly impact a student’s future,” said Benson. “Through critical evidence-based instruction that develops reading, writing, and language comprehension skills, we will open up their opportunities for success.”
The foundation provides scholarships to individuals of all ages to attend one of more than 50 Lindamood-Bell Learning Centers worldwide. The scholarships fund individualized instruction for underprivileged students with learning challenges and those with disabilities, including dyslexia and autism spectrum disorders, to help develop the skills necessary for reading and comprehension.
Perla, a 2020 scholarship recipient, attended the Lindamood-Bell Pasadena Learning Center and went from being a nonreader to reading at a second-grade level. The 9-year-old began struggling in kindergarten and no matter how much time passed, she was not advancing in school.
“When are you so far behind that you just lose hope?” asked Perla’s mother, Robyn. “The scholarship was really meaningful for us because I think a lot of times when we think about children, what separates so many of them is finances,” Robyn explained. “When Perla got this scholarship it’s almost like it leveled the playing field. It was enough to get Perla to where she needs to be, and it gave her an opportunity that we would’ve never been able to give Perla.”
9-year-old Savannah, a 2020 scholarship recipient from Los Angeles, attended the Westwood Learning Center in Los Angeles. When Savannah was in kindergarten, she was not progressing like her peers. She was behind in reading, and her school did not have the resources necessary to support her in the ways she needed, explained her mother, Joy. Savannah continued to fall behind until enrolling at Lindamood-Bell in the third grade, where she developed symbol imagery, the ability to image sounds and letters in words. She quickly began to read and write with greater ease, leading to a boost in confidence and a heightened motivation to learn.
“It’s quite a journey for many parents when your children are dealing with these challenges,” Joy said. “I was just really worried about what the future would hold for her, so getting the Lindamood-Bell scholarship and having her be successful in that time really changed my whole outlook for her.”
The Lindamood-Bell Foundation made the difference, according to Joy, because it offered Savannah a chance to receive instruction based on her individual learning needs to reach her potential.
“I’m just grateful she had those services because she wouldn’t be anywhere near where she is now without them,” she said. “Being able to get a scholarship changed everything.”
The annual scholarship window opens again on April 1.
For more information on how to donate to the Lindamood-Bell Foundation, visit
lindamoodbellfoundation.org/ways-to-give.
