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ST. JOSEPH — Through the Allied Health Careers Scholarship program, the Corewell Health Foundation Southwest Michigan (formerly known as Spectrum Health Lakeland Foundation) granted a total of $58,500 in the form of 40 scholarships to its team members, volunteers, interns and local students aiming to pursue a career in the health care sector.

In addition to these scholarships, the Foundation provided a total of $70,500 in departmental grants to aid team members in their ongoing educational endeavors. Over the last 31 years, Corewell Health Foundation Southwest Michigan has disbursed more than $2 million in grants and scholarships to team members, departments, volunteers, interns and students. This remarkable feat has been made possible largely due to the generous endowments from the local community for the purpose of investing in health care education and training.

“This year’s virtual ceremony enabled us to honor team members who are furthering their education, which will inevitably lead to improved patient care,” said Soroya Pierre-VanArtsen, president, Corewell Health Foundation Southwest Michigan. “It also gave us a platform to thank our generous donors who established the endowments to fund these scholarships.”

During the scholarship ceremony, Loren B. Hamel, MD, president, Corewell Health South, and Soroya Pierre-VanArtsen jointly presented the Leo Soorus Leadership Awards to Rebecca Dill, lead quality improvement specialist, and Chad Simcox, lead recruiter, physician & advanced practice provider attraction. Additionally, Dan Hopp was proud to confer the newly-introduced Dan Hopp Value Excellence Award to Camille Stacey, manager, Niles Hospital Emergency Department.

Established with a donation of at least $25,000, endowment scholarships are regularly named after a person or family and are allocated yearly to students focused on furthering their studies in the field of allied health. Furthermore, the scholarships and grants come from money earmarked for special studies, with the quantity of the donations and the decision to give being made by the donor. If you are interested in forming an endowed scholarship or grant, please contact the Foundation office at (269) 927-5143.

This year, the following Corewell Health South team members, volunteers, interns and area students (categorized by hometowns) received scholarships or awards:

Bangor
Sandra Cortes, Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship

 

Baroda
John Emerson, Corewell Health South Family Scholarship

 

Benton Harbor

Rebecca Dill, Leo Soorus Leadership Award

Michelle Svorec, The Walter B. Laetz Memorial Allied Health Careers Scholarship

Kiionna Walters, Jack and Fredda Sparks Healthcare Educational Opportunities Endowment

 

Berrien Springs

Admene Jacquet, Bill and Golda Madison Memorial Allied Health Careers Scholarship

Jongwan Park, Corewell Health South Gen Starkey Volunteer Scholarship

Beatriz Stockler Martins, Corewell Health South Auxiliary Volunteer Scholarship

 

Bridgman

Justin Chase, The Victor Palenske Memorial Allied Health Careers Scholarship

Natalie McNeil, The James W. Tiscornia Memorial Nursing Scholarship

 

Buchanan

Kristen Johnson, Norman P. Beebe Memorial Allied Health Careers Scholarship

 

Coloma

Heather Hastings, Whirlpool Foundation Nursing Scholarship

Zachary Hastings, Corewell Health South Family Scholarship

 

Eau Claire

Samantha Alsup, Frederick S. Upton Memorial Nursing Scholarship

 

Edwardsburg

Kaitlyn Smith, Corewell Health South Pawating Auxiliary Volunteer Scholarship

Emily Wachowiak, Corewell Health South Pawating Auxiliary Volunteer Scholarship

Emily Wachowiak, Niles College Education Scholarship

 

Galien

Amber Fisher York, The William E. Johnson Memorial Scholarship

 

Hartford

Ashley Solis, Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship

Callie Sullivan, The William E. Johnson Memorial Scholarship

 

Kalamazoo 

Allyson Hughes, Bill and Golda Madison Memorial Allied Health Careers Scholarship

Margret O’Connor, Jack and Dorothy Thatcher Memorial Scholarship Endowment

 

Niles

Megan Anderson, Corewell Health South Pawating Auxiliary Volunteer Scholarship

Isabella Scheer, Niles College Education Scholarship

Arley Wagley, Goves Growth and Achievement Scholarship

 

Paw Paw

Carter Plangger, Corewell Health South Family Scholarship

 

St. Joseph

Grace James, Corewell Health South Family Scholarship

Alayna Nolte, Corewell Health South Auxiliary Volunteer Scholarship

Julia Shepherd, The Walter B. Laetz Memorial Allied Health Careers Scholarship

Chad Simcox, Leo Soorus Leadership Award

Elizabeth Simcox, Allan and Vera Buckalew Memorial Nursing Scholarship

Michelle Mather, DO, John Proos, MD Memorial Scholarship

Elise VanArtsen, Corewell Health South Family Scholarship

 

Stevensville

Sara Kempton, Brian Parker Memorial Foundation Scholarship

Katherine Miller, Joseph A. Wasserman Scholarship

Natalie Rieli, June Rollinger Scholarship

Amelia Schroeder, Ruth Frobel Memorial Nursing Scholarship

Camille Stacey, Dan Hopp Value Excellence Award

 

Watervliet

Elaine Koshar, The Victor Palenske Memorial Allied Health Careers Scholarship

Esperanza Zuniga, Corewell Health South Watervliet Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship

Department grants were also awarded to:

Cardiology/EKG, Niles, Cardiothoracic Surgery Practice HB, St. Joseph, Cardiovascular Lab,  St. Joseph, Clinical Care Management, Hospice, Clinical Education and Simulation Training, Diabetes Education, Emergency Department Trauma Center, St. Joseph, Enterprise Shared Experience, Foundation, Benton Harbor, Home Care, Niles, Intensive Care Unit, St. Joseph, Inpatient Rehab, St. Joseph, Inpatient Rehab Therapies, Watervliet, Lory’s Place, Hospice, Obstetrics, St. Joseph & Niles, Outpatient Rehabilitation, St. Joseph, Outpatient Rehabilitation, Longmeadow, Outpatient Rehabilitation, Niles,  Outpatient Rehabilitation, Watervliet, Pre-Authorizations, Primary Care Practice, Administration, Primary Care Practice, BellaNova Women’s Health,  Primary Care Practice, Coloma, Radiation Oncology, St. Joseph, Radiology, Watervliet, Respiratory Therapy, St. Joseph, Sterile Processing, St. Joseph, Volunteer Services, St. Joseph, Wellness Center, Wound Care, St. Joseph and Wound Care & Hyperbaric, Niles.