Nursing scholarship awardees (Photo courtesy of Kona Community Hospital Auxiliary)

MEDIA RELEASE

The Kona Community Hospital Auxiliary recently awarded $10,000 in nursing scholarships to four local students seeking to pursue nursing careers.

The Kona Community Hospital Auxiliary nursing scholarship program annually awards up to $2500 per recipient to four nursing students.  This year’s scholarship recipients are Sherrine Gray, June Mohr, Joli Remund and second year recipient Michael Warnecke.

To be considered for the Auxiliary’s Nursing Scholarship, applicants must submit a resume, school transcripts, two letters of recommendation and a personal essay on why nursing was chosen as a career.  In addition, students must already be accepted to a nursing school.

The Auxiliary’s goal is to provide financial assistance to nursing students, and to aid Kona Community Hospital in meeting its future nursing needs.

“During the selection process, words like ‘compassionate, mature, professional and positive” were consistently used to describe these candidates,” Stephanie Irwin RN, director of education at Kona Community Hospital, said. “By awarding nursing scholarships to these deserving students, the Kona Hospital Auxiliary’s goal is to build a strong nursing workforce that will provide excellent healthcare to West Hawaii in the future.”

With 65 active members, the KCH Auxiliary is the largest volunteer organization at the hospital and operates the gift shop.

Funds for nursing scholarships are generated by the Auxiliary’s Friday Bake Sale, an annual rummage sale and other activities.

To volunteer or donate:

322-4577

http://kchauxiliary.org

Founded in 1914, KCH is a 94-bed full-service acute care hospital with 24-hour emergency department recently designated as a Level III trauma center supporting the west region of the island of Hawaii. 

It is a member of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, a special agency of the state of Hawaii established in 1996. It is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. KCH is dedicated to providing and enhancing accessible comprehensive healthcare services to the West Hawaii community.