ACHF supports 16 local students pursuing RN degrees
We are pleased to announce that 16 local students have been awarded scholarships ranging from $6,000 to $18,000 for the 2024-2025 academic year. Since 2002, the Willam G. and Ruth T. Evans Endowed Nursing Scholarship program has distributed more than $1.5 million in scholarships to over 300 students — including $186,000 for this year’s recipients.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be pursuing registered nursing degrees at Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) at Southern Oregon University or at Rogue Community College (RCC), and intend to work in the Rogue Valley after graduation.
After thoughtful deliberation, the program committee was pleased to announce this year’s recipients. Each student has shown dedication to improving the quality of health care in the Rogue Valley through their work.
Please join us in congratulating the 2024-2025 awardees on their significant achievement: Lizbeth Aguilar, Laura Barron, Kamryn Boone, Mariah Campbell, Jay Carez, Christine Daoust, Clara Fain, Crystal Gasser, Heather Hendricks, Shelby Lane, Laura McGinnis, Joshua McPherson, Maia Ober, Julissa Rivera, and Tucker Susko.
Additional awards will be made to 23 students in the graduating class of RCC’s Licensed Practical Nursing Program. These awards will cover the cost of state licensing and exam fees, so that graduates can move swiftly into the workforce and begin their careers in health care.
Because the need for nurses in our community is high, and continues growing, nursing scholarships make a meaningful impact on our local health care systems. Ashland Community Health Foundation is honored to administer the Evans Endowed Nursing Scholarship each year.
Mrs. Ruth Evans was a WWII Army nurse who wanted to help meet the local needs for nurses and honor her late husband, Bill, who was a family practice physician. When she passed in 2013, she left a bequest in excess of $2.5 million to the Ashland Community Health Foundation — ensuring her support would live on in perpetuity.
Through the success of the program, Mrs. Evans has touched countless lives — not only the students who received support, but their families and the patients they’ve cared for. It’s a legacy, her daughters Peg and Barb say, she would be proud of.
“If Ruth were here today, she would be amazed. She would not have imagined the scholarship fund could offer this amount of money to this number of people.”
If you are inspired by Ruth and would like to learn more about how you can create your own lasting legacy that will impact the health of your community for years to come, please contact us for more information.
