Two scholarships have been established in honor of James Foley, the first American to be beheaded by ISIS in Syria.
Foley was a teacher at Lowell Elementary School in South Phoenix for three years before becoming a journalist. While he was there, his students said he left a lasting impression.
"With most of my teachers, you know, after 3:30 the bell rang [and] that was the end of our relationship," former student Eddie Martinez said.
But Martinez said Foley was different. He stayed in his students' lives, becoming their friend.
After Foley's death, Martinez and his wife started the Foley Foundation of Arizona in his honor. They started with a rummage sale that brought in a few hundred dollars, and decided to keep going.
"Let's be bigger and better and really preserve that spirit," Kristen Martinez said.
The foundation is offering two $2,000 scholarships to Lowell students, with hopes of expanding to other schools in the future. The scholarships can be used by students for anything to help their education, including supplies, books and even transportation.
RELATED: The Foley Foundation of Arizona
