Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
AHFA Awards 12 Scholarships
May 1,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
The $2,500 awards are for the 2020-2021 school year. All applicants were students who are children of home furnishings industry workers. Eight of the scholarships were presented based on academic merit and financial need. Four were presented based on academic merit alone.
The 2020 scholarship winners are: Kevin Diaz, son of Erica Diaz, an employee of Franklin Corp., Houston, Miss.; Allison Hanby, daughter of Douglas Hanby of United Furniture Inds., Verona, Miss.; Micaela Harper, daughter of Mark Harper, of H.M. Richards, Baldwyn, Miss.; Audrianna Kauffman, daughter of Juanita Kauffman of Simply Amish, Arcola, Ill.; Luis Martinez, son of Susana Martinez Gonzales, of Tropitone Furniture, Anaheim, Calif.; and Piper Nickoli, daughter of Jeremy Nickoli of Norwalk Furniture, Norwalk, Ohio.
Also receiving scholarships were James Ortale, son of Frank Ortale of Ethan Allen, Danbury, Conn.; Lane Sherrill, son of Karl Sherrill, Marsh & McLennan, Greensboro, N.C.; Florencio Torres, whose guardian, Brandie Wheeler, works at Flexsteel Inds., Dubuque, Iowa; Makayla Ward, daughter of Randall Ward of Hickory White, Hickory, N.C.; Ashley Weems, daughter of Tony Weems, of La-Z-Boy’s Neosha, Miss., plant; and Sarah Wiley, daughter of Christopher Wiley of Sherrill Furniture, Hickory, N.C.
Students may reapply for the scholarship each year they are in school, provided a parent remains employed full time at a company that is a manufacturer, importer or supplier member of the AHFA. The scholarships may be applied to any college, university or technical school. The deadline for applications is January 31 each year, and awards are announced in April.
The scholarship fund was created by AHFA’s Solution Partners division, which currently has more than 100 member companies that supply equipment, components and services to the residential furniture industry. The fund is supported by the annual Solution Partners Education Golf Tournament. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this tournament. It will be held September 30 at Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, N.C.