NEW SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS PURSUING DEGREES IN GAME ART AND/OR DESIGN.

The Roachy Fund's mission is to help others follow their dream to “make art and play games.” The Fund will provide scholarships to college bound students who plan on pursuing a degree in art and/or game design. The scholarship was established to honor Alan Roach, a loved and respected leader in the toy and game industry. Alan’s creativity and love for games brought so much joy to the world. He was filled with eternal enthusiasm for gaming, laughing and life itself. Even in sickness, Alan never lost his sense of humor and desire to make every day as fun as possible. In the final months of his life, Alan shared that all he really wanted to do was to “make art and play games.” The Roachy Fund Scholarship was established to help others who share his passions and to honor his legacy.

Alan’s love for art and playing games started at a young age as he collected comic books and drew cartoons for a local newspaper. During his college years, he attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he graduated with a degree in Industrial Design. In 1992, Alan began what would be a 23-year career with Hasbro Games, where he found his true passion for both designing and playing games. In 2014 he took his many years of industry expertise with him and joined a longtime friend and mentor at Grand Prix International, a manufacturer and developer of tabletop games.

The Roachy Fund has partnered with the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association (ASTRA) and their 501(c)3 charitable organization, the ASTRA Foundation: www.astratoyfoundation.org. The Roachy Fund will award two scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each in June 2020. Please complete the attached application form and send all required materials to The Roachy Fund no later than April 15, 2020.

A Fundraiser to support future scholarships is being held May 9th in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, you can purchase tickets at https://roachyfest.brownpapertickets.com. A Game Convention will be held from 1 pm to 5 pm followed by an evening featuring live music, craft beer, a food truck and raffles. For more information about this event and the Roachy Fund go to www.facebook.com/theroachyfund.