Paula Ford-Martin Memorial Scholarship Fund

Paula Ford-Martin was an accomplished writer and editor who passed away on March 25, 2020 after five years with Stage IV metastatic cancer. She was humble about her endless achievements, but she took most pride in her role as a mother and as an advocate. Paula demonstrated nothing but love and support for all four of her children (two are transgender, three are gay, and all are fierce advocates). Despite the rapidly advancing metastases in her brain, Paula made it her goal to educate herself and the people around her in the way of kindness and tolerance. She pored over endless literature about LGBTQ+ issues and became deeply involved with advocacy groups serving queer and gender-nonconforming teens. Her kind heart and passion for writing always motivated her to fight for human rights and equality, no matter what she was facing in her own life. 

In a letter outlining her final wishes, Paula states that her dream is "an LGBTQ+ scholarship to reward those students that have gone above and beyond to bring awareness and equality to their school and community." She states that the scholarship should be awarded to a graduating high school senior who demonstrates (1) outstanding commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy, and (2) firm plans to pursue college, post-secondary education, or employment after graduation. This page will serve as the initial funding platform for the scholarship while a formal account is set up in Paula's name.

Paula's obituary can be read at https://tinyurl.com/paulafordmartin.