Washington State Community College receives $10,000 Community Impact Award
A $10,000 award to WSCC from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation recognizes the Education and Advancement to Registered Nurses program and will help fund its expansion.
The Education and Advancement to Registered Nurses (EARN) pathway at Washington State Community College (WSCC) is designed for students who want to pursue a career in nursing but who have to work due to life and family obligations. EARN students work on a practical nursing credential then move on to an associate degree program in nursing, all while working in the healthcare field. EARN received recognition recently from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation in the form of a $10,000 Community Impact Award that will help expand the EARN program.
WSCC explains in a news release that EARN was established to help meet an increase in demand for registered nurses at local and national levels. The program tries to meet those needs by making a degree in nursing more accessible to students with greater financial obligations than the usual student attending right from high school. As Dean of Health and Sciences at WSCC, Dr. Heather Kincaid explains, "The EARN pathway allows us to guide and support adult learners who, due to family and financial obligations, need to maintain employment while they're earning their degree. This initiative benefits our local economy and healthcare system through workforce training that puts our graduates in lucrative, in-demand careers."
The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation awarded a total of eleven organizations in Ohio grants through the 26th annual Community Impact Awards. Selected by a panel of judges, winners were judged based on their impact on communities through physical and social health and economic growth. In the news release from WSCC, Vice President of Business Development and Merchant Operations at Dominion Energy said, "We celebrate our honorees for their impact, community commitment and ability to rise to the occasion. We've experienced some hardships and true awakenings in 2020 and 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic and new efforts to address social justice have created unchartered territories for all of us. Our honorees' commitment to provide safe, efficient, and thoughtful resources to the community during these times is a true testament to the work they do and their ability to quickly shift, mobilize and step up in times of need."