The Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County Volunteer Auxiliary Board recently awarded two nursing students at Patrick Henry Community College with scholarships of $500 each for the spring 2014 semester.
Devyn Varner, a PHCC student getting ready for her second semester, said she was thankful to receive this award.
“Receiving this scholarship is a great opportunity for me,” she said. “I actually used it to pay for one of my classes this summer. It was very helpful.”
The second recipient, Greg Harduk, will graduate in December from the nursing program. He said because he’s not on financial aid, this scholarship is a great help to him and his family.
“I’m using this scholarship to pay for my tuition,” he said. “It helps take some of the pressure off my wife, who is supporting me right now. It helps tremendously.”
Nancy Craig, a volunteer board member for the auxiliary, said they were happy to reward hardworking students at PHCC.
“We really want to give back to our community,” she said. “In everything we do, we give back to the hospital and the community to help others. And helping with the cost of education is definitely a good thing.”
The auxiliary takes proceeds from the hospital’s gift shop and they hold events, such as uniform and book sales, to help support scholarships and help care for patients who have been released from the hospital, according to Craig.
Craig said they will increase their scholarship awards to give three in both the spring and fall semesters starting in the fall 2014 semester.
The scholarship was established in November 2012 by the volunteer auxiliary board at the hospital. To date, six nursing students have received $3,000 in tuition funding. The awards can be used for tuition, books and fees.
Contacts for this scholarship are Craig and Anne Anderson. To qualify, students must
- be enrolled in either PHCC registered nurse or practical nursing programs;
- be a full-time student;
- have demonstrated financial need;
- and have and maintain a 2.5 grade point average.
