Finis and Loretta Stafford established the Dinah Stafford Education Scholarship at Grand Canyon University in July 2000 to honor their daughter, Dinah Stafford. The scholarship is awarded to students who have been accepted into the College of Education at GCU.
Dinah is the daughter of Finis and Loretta Stafford, and the sister of Dr. Gil Stafford, President of Grand Canyon University. Dinah was born January 24, 1955 in Hobart, Oklahoma. In 1960, the Staffords moved to Phoenix, Arizona to provide the best possible care for Dinah.
Dinah was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome, a malady caused by the deformity of chromosome 15. Prader-Willi Syndrome is characterized in a number of ways including intellectual disability, several physical handicaps and behavior disorders. Yet, her shining blue eyes, ever present joy, happy smile, warm embrace, strong will and determination, and the grace of God, have enabled her to outlive all expectations. Presently, at the age of forty-five, she is one of the oldest individuals living with PWS.
Through all the struggles of being the parents of such a challenging child, the Staffords have made a life-long commitment of providing Dinah with every opportunity to have a healthy and successful life. Her most current accomplishments have been supported through the tremendous efforts of Dr. Jeanne Carrigan, Director of ArtWorks in Tucson; Arizona. ArtWorks is a day program for the mentally and physically challenged. The outstanding team at ArtWorks has opened the world of drawing, painting, working with clay and sewing to Dinah. These hidden: gifts of Dinah’s have now been revealed and is blessing the lives of all who share in the beauty of her work.
This scholarship has been initiated in Dinah’s honor with a gift made by her parents. The Staffords have been educators their entire lives: Finis in high school and Loretta in the elementary grades. Because of their great love for Dinah, and as a way of thanking all those who have contributed to her education and in order to prepare the next generation of teachers who will provide quality education for those like Dinah, this scholarship has been created.
The entire Stafford family invites you to join in honoring Dinah and participate in the recognition of the need to educate future generations by contributing to this scholarship fund. We all want to thank you for your contribution and support.
