FORGIVE ME if I sound like a proud parent, but I feel entitled. When a few colleagues and I launched the Nursing2005 Foundation almost 2 years ago, we hoped to raise funds to encourage current and future nurses. So far, we've exceeded our most ambitious goals.
Marking milestones
From the start, the Foundation's mission has been to support nursing scholarships and mentoring programs, to recognize nurses' accomplishments, and to promote nursing education. The first milestone was a grant from Laclede, Inc., in 2005, supporting a writing awards program. We used the funds to send nurse-authors of prizewinning journal articles to a national nursing convention to honor their accomplishments.
Now ending its second year, the Foundation has attracted more benefactors and funding. Thanks to the Patricia Kind Family Foundation and other donors, we've helped nursing students affected by Hurricane Katrina, awarded our first nursing scholarship, and recognized more writing award winners. We're grateful to all who made these efforts possible.
Helping students bounce back from Katrina. We're especially proud of the Foundation's $11,500 in grants distributed to two nursing schools devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The money earmarked for this cause went to resources for nursing students at William Carey College, which has campuses in New Orleans, La., and in Hattiesburg and Gulfport, Miss., and Delgado Community College's Charity School of Nursing in New Orleans. Students used the funds to replace computers, textbooks, and stethoscopes lost in the hurricane. Not a penny went to administrative costs.
Supporting scholars. In accord with the Nursing2006 Foundation's mission, scholarships benefit minority nursing students, including American Indians, African-Americans, and men. Working with the Foundation of the National Student Nurses' Association, Inc., the Foundation awarded its first scholarship to a needy student at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. Ecdo Otu, from Nigeria, has been in the United States for 5 years working diligently for great grades. As the Foundation continues growing, we hope to increase the scope of scholarships to enhance diversity in our profession.
Wanted: Helping hands
As the Nursing2006 Foundation enters 2007, we're seeking volunteers for the board of directors as well as more funding. To qualify for the board, you must have time for meetings, good communication skills, and a wide network of connections in nursing and related fields. Your focus will be to help raise and allocate funds. If you're interested, please e-mail your letter of intent and your curriculum vitae to [email protected]. To donate to the general fund or to a specific cause, go to our Web site.
Although I give my time to the Foundation, it operates independently from Nursing2006 journal and its publisher, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a Wolters Kluwer business. Besides backing me and my colleagues who give time, the company indirectly supports the Foundation through promotions in the journal.
Members of the Foundation's board of directors aren't paid, but we're amply rewarded for our efforts by the gratitude of the Foundation's beneficiaries. Recently, a student aided by the Katrina Fund sent this note: "It's nice to know that this long after the hurricane, we haven't been forgotten. Many of us are still dealing with gutted houses and destroyed property. A gift like this reminds us that people still care."
The Nursing2006 Foundation operates under the Trust Counselors Network, Inc., formed as a Pennsylvania not-for-profit corporation.
GO TO OUR WEB SITE
http://www.nursing2006foundation.org
* for a complete list of donors
* to apply for two available scholarships. You must apply by January 12, 2007 to be eligible.
* to download a donation form.