The Lenoir Hospital Foundation recently provided funding to support seven recipients with scholarships, assisting with college and continuing education for individuals pursuing healthcare careers and personal growth. 

The Gary E. Black Memorial Impact Award was created in 2023 to memorialize the legacy of long-time Lenoir Memorial Hospital CEO, Gary Black, who gave 32 years of service to the hospital. His leadership and strong relationship with the hospital workforce, and belief that every employee had a role in the overall success of the organization was evident in his daily mentoring and fostering of individual excellence. After his death in 2022, the Gary E. Black Memorial Impact Award, an endowed fund within the foundation, was created as the first annual non-clinical employee award at the hospital. Ms. April Wurdock, director of Health Information Services, is the second recipient of this award. April will be using her award towards professional development in patient safety. 

Ms. Haylee Butts, a nursing student at Pitt Community College is the 2024 recipient of the Jaime C. Fields Memorial Nursing Scholarship. The Jamie C. Field Scholarship was established in July 2002. The scholarship is in recognition of Jamie Chris Fields, a former employee of Lenoir Memorial Hospital who died while working as a pharmacy technician attending Lenoir Community College to pursue a career in nursing. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance to an employee or to the son/daughter of an employee of UNC Health Lenoir who is actively enrolled in a college or community college program to obtain a degree in nursing.

Ms. Cassie Royster, a nursing student at Lenoir Community College is the 2024 recipient of the Stackhouse Memorial Nursing Scholarship. The Stackhouse Memorial Scholarship was established in September 2008 by Mr. Jerry Stackhouse through contributions to the Lenoir Hospital Foundation. The annual scholarship is given in memory of Jerry’s sisters and the 2024 award honors the memory of Ms. Bertha Meadows who died from diabetes. 

Ms. Franchesca King and Isabella Norris were recently awarded the Lenoir Hospital Foundation’s Nancy Peele Memorial Scholarship. They are enrolled in the Lenoir Community College Radiography Program. The Nancy Peele Memorial Scholarship was stablished in January 2010 in memorial recognition of Nancy Peele, a native of Williamston, North Carolina, who worked in the radiology department and in the laboratory at UNC Health Lenoir for forty-seven years. The scholarship is for students enrolled in either radiology or laboratory programs. 

Ms. Angela Duran, a nursing student at Pitt Community College is the 2024 recipient of the Cindy A. Jones Memorial Nursing Scholarship. The scholarship was established in October 2004 in recognition of Cindy Alphin Jones, RN, a beloved nurse working in the Ambulatory Care Unit at the time of her death. Cindy fought a long and courageous battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and touched the lives of all employees but especially her fellow nurses. Each September, her twin sons award the recipient, along with their father and uncle. 

Ms. Rachel Garris, BSN, RN, VA-BC is the recent recipient of the Ella Green Weyher National Nursing Certification Scholarship. The Weyher Scholarship was established in 2016 by a gift from Ella Green Weyher, a Kinston resident who was devoted to her community until she passed away in 2015. This scholarship serves to promote professional nursing certification of UNC Health Lenoir nurses. A national certification benefits nurses, patients, and the organization by validating expertise, increasing nursing credibility, and promoting professional development. Two scholarships are awarded each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. 

The Lenoir Hospital Foundation was established over thirty-five years ago to receive and steward private donations for the purpose of enhancing patient care through support to UNC Health Lenoir. For more information about the Foundation, please visit UNCLenoir.org/foundation.