11 Phillips County seniors earn $12,500 through Delta Magic program

Eleven Phillips County seniors left Delta Magic’s Rising Leaders program with a combined $12,500 in scholarships and a set of money skills meant to make the next step less expensive and less uncertain. The June 3 announcement was more than a ceremonial finish line. It put real dollars behind 11 graduates trying to move from high school into college, training or work without losing momentum.

Delta Magic said the students completed a program built around financial literacy and civic engagement at the Hunt Education Center, in partnership with Partners Bank. The organization also said each Rising Leaders cohort designs, plans and leads a community project that addresses a need identified by the students themselves. That makes the scholarships part of a larger system, not a stand-alone award, with Delta Magic using the program to teach planning, money management and public-minded leadership at the same time.

The financial impact is modest in dollar terms but meaningful in local terms. Split evenly, the $12,500 would average about $1,136 per student. In Phillips County, where the population was 16,568 in the 2020 census and median household income was $29,320 in 2019, that kind of support can help narrow the gap between what families can cover and what education or training actually costs. Helena-West Helena, the county seat and largest city, had 9,519 residents in the 2020 census and an estimated 8,216 in July 2025, while the city’s bachelor’s-degree rate was 15.3% for 2020-2024. Those figures underline why a program that pays students and teaches them how to manage money can matter as much as a graduation ceremony.

Delta Magic’s broader record suggests it is trying to build a measurable pipeline, not just hand out occasional awards. The nonprofit was founded in 2022 by Drew Smith and Harvey Williams to build local capacity, and its Rising Leaders page shows a model that has evolved beyond a short class. Earlier program materials said eligible students could receive a bank account and up to $500 total from Partners Bank and Delta Magic, while Delta Magic said its first Rising Leaders cohort improved financial literacy scores by at least 20%, with some students improving by as much as 60%.

The program has also shown it can pull in families and civic attention. A 2025 Arkansas Advocate column said Delta Magic’s fall 2024 cohort drew more than 220 families to a community bonfire and outdoor movie night capstone, after students secured permits and presented ideas to the city council. For Phillips County, that matters because it points to a youth pipeline that is producing not just scholarship recipients, but students who can lead, plan and stay rooted in the county’s institutions and future workforce.