Edward Foundation awards $58,000 in nursing scholarships

The Edward Foundation has awarded $58,000 in nursing scholarships to 21 Edward Hospital employees who are pursuing a degree or advanced degree in nursing. The employees were recognized at a luncheon on Feb. 21 at Edward Hospital.

The Foundation awarded $10,000 Peter Veit Scholarships to Kelly Florido of Elgin, a registered nurse (RN) in Cardiac Telemetry Unit (CTU) 8 and Ellen Turnbull, RN, Naperville, Director, Patient Care, Emergency Services.

Veit, who passed away in 2014 at age 86, created the scholarship fund in his name with a $120,000 gift to the Foundation following the care he received from the Edward nursing staff.

A $2,000 Agnes A. Book Memorial Nursing Scholarship was awarded to Jennifer Bushen, RN, Montgomery, Clinical Leader, Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The annual scholarship comes from a fund established by the Book family in memory of their mother, who was a nurse at Edward for more than 20 years.

The Foundation awarded $2,000 nursing scholarships to 18 Edward employees:

• Catherine Aler, APN (Advance Practice Nurse), Intensive Care, Plainfield
• Mary Bala, RN, Critical Care, Clarendon Hills
• Raquel Bischoff, RN, Labor & Delivery, Montgomery
• Tina Bobo, RN, Pain Management, Aurora
• Lindsay Crawford, RN, CTU 7, Joliet
• Nermine Dauti, RN, NICU, Bolingbrook
• Katherine Hanna, RN, Pulmonary Medicine, Oswego
• Rosaleen Lim, RN, Center for Cardiac Health, Naperville
• Julia Manikatova, RN, Surgical Care, Naperville
• Kathryn Olewine, RN, Pediatrics, St. Charles
• Samantha Rodriguez, RN, Clinical Nurse Educator, Plainfield
• Andrea Sarna, RN, Edward Cancer Center, Naperville
• Julie Thomas, RN, Coordinator, Clinical Education & Quality Improvement, Oswego
• Michelle Verner, RN, Linden Oaks Behavioral Health, South Elgin
• Trisha Walker, RN, CTU 3, Lockport
• Ashley Walsh, RN, Pediatrics, Aurora
• Melanie Wilke, RN, Pulmonary Medicine, Oswego
• Kelley Wojcik, RN, Clinical Nurse Educator, Surgical Services Support, St. Charles

Since it was established in 1990, the Edward Foundation has raised more than $52.5 million in its mission to support Edward Hospital’s community healthcare initiatives, invest in the most advanced diagnostic and treatment technology, recruit world-class medical professionals and deliver the highest quality care to almost 1.7 million patients within the area it serves. To make a donation to or for more information about the Foundation, call (630) 527-3954 or visit www.edwardfoundation.org.