Knapp & Roberts Announces Knapp & Roberts Foundation, Scholarship Winners and a 2017 Scholarship
By Craig Knapp on May 10, 2017

Over the past 25 years, Knapp & Roberts law firm has aligned their name and provided contributions to organizations and causes that align with their values. On their Giving Back page you will see a list of causes that represent these values, ranging from those serving their local community, including St. Vincent de Paul (helping provide food and medical care to those in need) and the Autism Society of Greater Phoenix (providing information, resources, and support to families affected by autism), as well as charities that affect people across the U.S., including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Special Olympics.

In an effort to build upon the causes nearest to their heart, Knapp & Roberts created the Knapp & Roberts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping and enhancing the lives of those who need it most – both close to home and nation wide.

Although Knapp & Roberts Law Firm supports a wide range of causes, there is one that remains important to founders Craig Knapp and Dana Roberts – and that’s their commitment to helping those with special needs and their families. That’s why their first endeavor in creating the Knapp & Roberts Foundation was to award students who share their passion and saw the importance of serving the special needs community. First, they sought applicants across the country who are students with a special needs sibling. Due to the resources and funds needed to care for a special needs child, they understand that a parent’s ability to assist their college-bound child may be limited. That’s why this scholarship focuses on the needs of a sibling of someone with special needs in hopes of relieving the financial burden of the student and their family. They asked applicants to share their story, tell them about their sibling and let them know what their plans are for the future.

Then, they thought about the teachers that support the special needs students in the classroom and offered another scholarship for those pursuing a degree in special education. They asked them to share their story, why they’re pursuing this degree and what their plans are for the future.

The stories were inspiring, making the decision to award two applicants challenging. In fact, it was so hard that they ended up awarding a second sibling scholarship! They read every entry and it was Joey Wikol’s story of his brother and sister with autism and his tireless work in combining his knowledge in biomedical engineering with his passion for helping those with autism and special needs that led Knapp & Roberts Foundation to award their sibling scholarship to him. You can read a Q&A of Joey’s story here.

But there was another applicant’s story that could not be ignored. As a result, Knapp & Roberts Foundation created another scholarship for Brianna TenBrink, whose story of her sister with autism and her countless awareness efforts deserved to be recognized. You can read a Q&A of Brianna’s story here.

Then it was Summer Lengyel’s impressive journey in pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in English, a New Jersey Teacher Certification for P-12 English, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and Teacher of Students with Disabilities Certification that won us over in awarding their special education scholarship. You can read a Q&A of Summer’s story here.

Applications are now being accepted for 2017 scholarships. To learn more about the scholarship, as well as application requirements and how to apply, visit our website.