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 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
