SSM ST. JOSEPH HEALTH CENTER CONTINUES SUPPORT OF
SCC FOUNDATION

SSM St. Joseph Health Center has renewed their $5,500 corporate sponsorship of the St. Charles Community College Foundation for 2009.  With this money, the SCC Foundation will be able to fund student scholarships, academic programs, and educational equipment.
 
The SCC Foundation has received support from SSM St. Joseph Health Center since 1991.
 
“The relationship between SCC and SSM has been a strong one for many years,” said Maggie Fowler, vice president of patient care services at SSM.  “SSM recognizes the importance of the success of the nursing program now and in the future, as the college provides qualified graduates to enter the healthcare workforce.”
 
Edie Kirk, associate vice president of Foundation and alumni relations at SCC, said the SCC Foundation values its relationship with SSM.
 
“Many nursing students at SCC have directly or indirectly benefitted from the support of SSM,” Kirk said.

Support from Friends provides money for nursing scholarships

For the second year, the Friends of SSM St. Joseph Auxiliary have donated $3,000 to be used for three $1,000 fall scholarships for second-year nursing students.  The SCC Foundation matches these scholarships in the spring semester as long as the recipients continue to meet the scholarship criteria.
 
The scholarship is available to second year nursing students who have completed 18 hours of coursework, have at least a 3.0 grade point average, and are enrolled in at least 9 hours at SCC. The SCC Foundation matches the amount for the spring semester as long as the student maintains the required grade point average.
 
“When our group discovered that the community college would match our funds, it was the deciding factor in creating this scholarship,” said Karen Zerr, treasurer of the Friends of SSM St. Joseph Auxiliary.  “It makes our money go twice as far.”
 
Zerr said establishing a scholarship with SCC was a natural choice, especially because of the nursing program’s strong reputation.
 
“It was obvious – it seems like a good fit all the way around to be involved with a school that provides people to work at the various SSM hospitals,” Zerr said.  “Our organization is all about the hospital, and you can’t have the hospital without nurses and other medical staff.”

Sherry Hood, who will graduate from the SCC nursing program in May 2009, received the Friends of SSM St. Joseph Auxiliary Nursing Scholarship for the fall 2008 semester.  Hood said the scholarship made a big difference, especially because her 21-year-old daughter was in the SCC nursing program at the same time.
 
“Because the two of us were in school at the same time, money was tight,” she said.  “This scholarship made a big difference, and it did a lot for my self-esteem.  Receiving this scholarship inspired me, and made me realize I can do pretty much anything I put my mind to.”
 
Applications for the Fall 2009 Friends of SSM St. Joseph Auxiliary Nursing Scholarship will be accepted until June 1.  For more information, contact Kasey McKee, SCC Foundation annual giving manager, at 636-922-8472.

The vision of the St. Charles Community College Foundation is to transform lives and strengthen communities. The independent, 501(c)3, not-for-profit corporation was formed to solicit, receive, and administer gifts, grants, bequests, and donations to support the educational purposes of the college. For more information, visit the Foundation Web site at www.stchas.edu/foundation.

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