Scholarships
Through generous anonymous donations, the United Brachial Plexus Network (UBPN) grants 4 academic scholarships annually to individuals with Brachial Plexus Injuries attending college, trade school, and/or career retraining. Two (2) UBPN Nancy Birk Memorial Scholarships ($500 each) and two (2) UBPN Academic Scholarships ($250 each) will be awarded annually to the top four applicants:
(2) Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries (BPBI, aka OBPI, Erb’s Palsy)
(2) Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injuries (TBPI / non-birth related)
Scholarship applications for the 2025-2026 school year open:
Now Taking Applications through May 31, 2025
Applications will be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee and winners will be notified on or before August 15th.
This is an individual scholarship that may be reapplied for every year. Questions? Please email scholarship@ubpn.org
ⓘ Program Information
In the event there are less than two applicants from either injury category, the remaining scholarship(s) will be given to the next best applicants from the existing pool. Individuals can reapply each year they attend any of the above education programs. Winners from one year are not eligible to win first place the following year but can still be considered for the second place scholarship.
Starting this year, the scholarship awarded to individuals with brachial plexus birth injuries will be called:
The UBPN Nancy Birk Memorial Scholarship.
Nancy Birk
August 1953 - October 2021
Nancy, born in Lowell, MA in 1953, was diagnosed with a paralyzed left arm, with all five ruptured plexus nerves and Horner’s syndrome as a result of a difficult birth. Growing up, she knew she had Erb’s palsy and even visited Boston Children’s hospital as an infant for follow-up treatment. She moved to Ohio when she was five where she had two surgeries at ages 9 and 11 similar to today’s tendon and muscle transfers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Nancy served UBPN in various functions from 1999 until 2009, including three years as Secretary and 6 years as President/Past President. Nancy was one of the Founders of UBPN; she was there from the drafting of Articles of Incorporation and contributed to developing a mission statement and forming the vision of what UBPN would represent.
Outside of UBPN, Nancy worked at Kent State where she was a faculty professor of Library and Media Services, serving as the University’s archivist and curator of special collections. She also taught in the graduate school of library and information science. Upon retirement from UBPN and Kent State, Nancy would also often travel to Greece where she had the position of the director of a library at the American College of Thessaloniki. Nancy met her husband Tim while at university as students, and together they raised their son Josh who now has his own children.
Nancy passed away in 2021 after a difficult battle with pancreatic cancer. She served UBPN on paper for 10 years, but she has been more to the BPI community for most of her life, traveling to speak at events and helping the Board of Directors for years past her retirement. It is our honor going forward to name the UBPN scholarship for individuals with birth injuries in her name. Starting with the 2022-2023 application, the scholarship will forever be known as the Nancy Birk UBPN Academic Scholarship.
OUTSIDE SCHOLARSHIPS
The Antonio V. Glassberg Educational Foundation & UBPN
The Antonio V. Glassberg Educational Foundation
Antonio V. Glassberg
February 28, 1978 – March 7, 2001
Greetings United Brachial Plexus Network Members and Friends,
Our Foundation was founded at the request of Antonio V. Glassberg shortly before he died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2001 at the age of 23. We are delighted that UBPN is willing to share with you our Foundation’s mission, vision and strategy.
Our Foundation’s Board shares Antonio's core belief that a young person's physical and financial hardship should not be an impediment to gaining access to excellence in education. Our purpose is to empower and help Antonio V. Glassberg scholarship recipients reach their fullest individual potential - academically, emotionally, and socially - by providing those selected recipients an opportunity and impetus to attend private educational institutions which can provide the most hospitable environment for such growth.
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Our mission: At Antonio’s request, in 2001 we began to grant scholarships for disadvantaged children to attend private schools of excellence, and have now provided over 65 annual grants. Early in 2014 we refocused our mission to provide tuition scholarship grants exclusively for physically challenged students with financial need to attend great K-12 private schools.
Our vision: We aim to have 100 physically challenged students supported by Antonio’s Foundation over the next ten years.
Our strategy: We want students with physical differences to have every advantage in life possible and we are particularly passionate about education. After interviewing the parents of our grant recipients, we have learned there are a number of reasons why parents may want to consider the private school option for their physically challenged child:
•Community – Often students in a K-12 or 7-12 private school can avoid the middle school/junior high and/or senior high transitions. These are awkward periods for able-bodied students, let alone those with spinal injuries, limb loss, or other physical differences. A private school may offer a truer sense of community, giving the student time to grow and develop the self-confidence needed to face adulthood.
•Partnership – All students deserve to be part of a school that is genuinely engaged in seeking out, accepting, supporting, and empowering them. Ideally a school is a true partner aligned with the parents’ vision and values. Ultimately, private schools are at their best as partners who respond with the appropriate level of urgency and focus when and if issues arise for a physically challenged student.
•Trajectory – Antonio’s vision for the foundation was to create superior educational opportunities for children who might otherwise be denied. Antonio understood from his own experience that these opportunities can alter a future career and life trajectory in a positive way by setting a child up for success in college and beyond.
Thank you for allowing us to spread the word of our mission, and we look forward to your inquiries. Learn more about us at www.antonioglassbergfoundation.org. Feel free to contact us at contact@antonioglassbergfoundation.org. We will respond to all emails.
For Antonio,
Matt Schnuck, President and Director
Jim Walter - Matt Crystal - Tom Glassberg, Directors
December 10, 2014
CONGRATS UBPN 2024 Scholarship Winners!
Nancy Birk Memorial TBPI 1st PLACE Shayla Churchill
UBPN Academic TBPI 2nd PLACE Samuel Watts
Nancy Birk Memorial BPBI 1st PLACE Olivia Kapusniak
UBPN Academic BPBI 2nd PLACE Christopher LaRosa
Resources & Support
Join the United Brachial Plexus Network in making a difference! Whether you're seeking support, looking for information, or want to connect with others impacted by brachial plexus injuries, we’re here for you. Together, we can raise awareness, provide resources, and advocate for prevention and better care. Explore our network and be part of a global community dedicated to making life brighter for those affected by BPI.