Arlington Parks and Recreation Department's Build a Dream Scholarship program offers scholarships that can be used to register a child for any Arlington Parks and Recreation Department structured youth program. Because of this program, the APRD was able to issue issue $27,998.50 in scholarship funds to 451 children, in August of 2013. Scholarships are awarded in August and February of each year.

Funding for the scholarship program comes from a combination of sources. Corporate donors such as Concentra assist with the funding along with the Arlington Tomorrow Fund, and Community Development and Block Grants. City of Arlington employees also contribute by sponsoring departmental "blue jean days" from which contributions are donated directly to the scholarship fund.

The scholarship program is designed to provide recreation opportunities for under-served families with children between the ages of 4 months and 16 years of age. Program eligibility requirements state that the family's income level must meet low-income criteria, and they must be residents of Arlington.

At the Build-a-Dream sign-up event, parents pay a $5 registration fee to complete the registration process and sign their children up for the classes. A $65 scholarship is provided for a single child, and there is a maximum of $130 per family for those who sign-up two or more children.

Please keep up with www.NaturallyFun.org for future application dates. If you are interested in donating, please visit http://arlingtonwebstore.com/parksdonation-1.aspx