GIFT FOUNDATION AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO FUTURE NURSES

Through its Garner Nursing Scholarship Fund the GIFT Foundation (Geneseo Is For Tomorrow) recently distributed scholarships of $1,600 each to four local nursing students. Donald and Ireta Garner established the fund in the mid 1980's to help local young people attend nursing schools. In the past ten years more than $110,000 have been distributed for that fund.

"This was the first year that GIFT has been responsible for the distributions from the fund", says Greg Heaton, treasurer of GIFT's board of directors. "In this case we assembled a group of local professionals who reviewed all of the applications. They considered progress toward a degree, current and past grades, community involvement, need and many other factors in deciding who would get the awards. The members of the selection committee took their jobs very seriously. In handling the scholarship selection in this matter, I think that GIFT acted very responsibly on behalf of the Garners."

The selection committee was made up of Darcy Hepner, Hammond-Henry Hospital, Diane Swagger, Hammond-Henry Hospital, Judy Douglas, Good Samaritan Village, and Nona Diericx, and Hillcrest Home.

"These scholarships are valuable to the community," notes Hepner. "We get many call about scholarship availability at the hospital. It's nice to be able to direct students to the GIFT Foundations scholarships. Being on the selection committee was a very rewarding experience."

Winners of $1,600 scholarships are: Kallie DeGrave of Atkinson, a first year student at Culver Stockton College in Canton, Mo.; Geneseo resident Kelly DeSmith, a 2001 graduate and student at St. Ambrose University in Davenport; Darla Frech, Geneseo, a student at Black Hawk College; and Angela Kelly of Geneseo who is a Junior at St. Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana.

This Selection Committee that awarded scholarships to area
nursing students included. for the left, Darcy Hepner,
Hammond-Henry, Judy Douglas, Good Samaritan Village,
Diane Swagger, Hammond-Henry Hospital, and Nona Diericx, Hillcrest Home.

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