By Holly Desrosier
The Craven Community College (Craven CC) Foundation was presented with two $1,000 donations from the Society of 40 & 8 on Jan. 21. The generous contributions will go toward annual scholarships for students pursuing a nursing degree.
Bob Blair and James T. Lewis, both members of the New Bern chapter of the Society of 40 & 8 Voiture No. 589, presented the donations to Charles Wethington, director of institutional advancement at Craven CC. The funds will be contributed to the Society of 40 & 8 Scholarship to help nursing students in need of financial assistance.
Lewis’ daughter graduated from Craven CC’s nursing program in 2010 and is now employed in cardiac care at CarolinaEast Medical Center. He has witnessed firsthand how important it is to support the education of local nurses and help them reach their academic goals.
“We want to support the nursing program in every way we can,” said Lewis. “This is something that 40 & 8 is 100% behind.”
Originally part of the American Legion, the Society of 40 & 8 Voiture No. 589 became an independent society in 1960 and is still an affiliate of the American Legion Post 24 located in New Bern. The independent, invitation-only honor society of American veterans and service members promotes the well-being of veterans, their widows, widowers and orphans. The society actively participates in charitable endeavors such as programs that promote child welfare and nurse training.
The college’s nursing program has a long history of supporting CarolinaEast Medical Center by training highly qualified Registered Nurses (RNs). Craven CC offers several nursing degree paths from which students may select. The Associate in Nursing program teaches aspiring nurses the fundamentals of clinical and critical thinking with experience in oncology, medical-surgical, mother and child, critical care and other specialized areas.
To become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), students can go through the college’s Practical Nursing program, where they learn medical skills to help them excel in nursing homes, clinics, home health care and hospitals. LPNs looking to become a Registered Nurse (RN) can go through the college’s LPN to RN Transition program.
“With almost half of our graduates last year being hired by CarolinaEast, they often look to us first when hiring new nurses,” said Dr. Alec Newton, dean of health programs at Craven CC. “This scholarship donation from the Society of 40 & 8 will help students obtain their dream of becoming a nurse and start their career at one of the largest employers in Craven County.”
The Society of 40 & 8 Scholarship was established in Feb. 2019 because of the organization’s commitment to promoting the training of nurses. It is an annual $1,000 scholarship that is open to any Craven County resident who is pursuing an Associate Degree in Nursing. To be considered eligible for the scholarship, the student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours and have at least a 3.0 GPA.
For more information or to initiate a new scholarship fund, contact Wethington at 252-638-7350 or wethingc@cravencc.edu. To find out more about Craven CC’s nursing programs, contact Aileen Will at 252-639-2025 or nursinginfo@cravencc.edu.
This article was originally published in the New Bern Sun Journal on January 29, 2020.