Established 2022

This scholarship fund is a part of the CFMT General Scholarship Application that is open annually from December 1st to February 1st.

Eligibility: This scholarship is for an African American male student. Students eligible to apply are students currently attending a Metro Nashville Public High School with preference given to Whites Creek High School Seniors. Applicants must be enrolling in either a two-year or four-year university/college and have a minimum 3.0 GPA. The Fund is need-based; therefore, applicants must demonstrate a need for financial assistance to attend college. Applicants must also demonstrate an involvement in sports with preference given to students who have participated in high school baseball or have been a member of the Parkwood Baseball Team.

History: Spirituality, Generosity and Personality are characteristics of Pastor Russell “Rusty” J. Perkins, who entered into the joy of the Lord on December 27, 2021. Pastor Rusty was educated in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, and then completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University. He valued education and the opportunities that it would afford him within his longstanding career in management positions at big-box retailers, and ultimately within sales and finance management in the Automotive Industry.

He also loved sports and became an exceptional athlete in his own right as a member of the Parkwood Baseball Team. He acknowledged that sports taught him discipline, sportsmanship, and being team oriented, which served him well throughout his career.

Pastor Rusty was a man of faith as Pastor of the Faith Apostolic Church in Charlotte, TN. His sermons focused on Love, Faith, and “Preferring our brothers and sisters above ourselves”. His legacy of these principles will be continued through the scholarship fund in his honor.