Named for Joseph A. Beavers, the late labor leader and former member of UPO's Board of Trustees, the Scholarship program is endowed with proceeds received from the agency's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast that is held in January of every year. The agency has awarded college and vocational scholarships since 1989 to students who aspire to improve the quality of their lives through the pursuit of higher education. UPO awarded a record number of scholarships in the year 2000. Awardees are chosen based on their academics, writing abilities, community interests, personal need and others.
All applicants go through an intensive interview process.