Ben Trollinger / btrollinger@summitdaily.com
The St. Anthony Summit Medical Center Health Foundation’s inaugural Kentucky Derby Party on May 4 raised more than $120,000 to help local nurses and health care workers pursue advanced degrees while continuing to live and work in Summit County.
With the successful fundraiser, which took place at 10 Mile Music Hall, and the support of individual donors, the foundation’s scholarship program has raised a total of $250,000 in its first year. The foundation seeks to raise $1 million to seed an endowment that will benefit generations of caregivers.
Launched last year, the foundation says it aims to help St. Anthony Summit Medical Center caregivers develop and grow their careers in Summit County. By helping to pay all or most of a caregiver’s tuition, the scholarship program is meant to make living in Summit and going back to school more feasible for nurses, technicians and other patient-facing caregivers. Scholarships are awarded to caregivers pursuing associate, undergraduate and graduate degrees in fields that meet current or future staffing needs at St. Anthony Summit Medical Center.
In 2018, the program awarded six scholarships totaling $52,000 to St. Anthony nurses. Caregivers who are awarded scholarships commit to working at St. Anthony Summit Medical Center for a minimum of two years following the completion of their degree.
For more information about the St. Anthony Summit Medical Center Scholarship Program, including how to make an investment, contact Candy Elkind at 970-668-2814 or candyelkind@centura.org.