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Twice a year, Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) Auxiliary awards hospital employees with a $500 scholarship toward furthering their education through the Tree of Love – Elizabeth T. Moseley Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship is funded by community donations made to the “Tree of Love” in memory of, in honor of or as a military salute to a loved one. Recipients must meet certain criteria, like being employed by VCU Health CMH for at least a year, providing a letter of recommendation from their department director, maintaining a 3.0 GPA or greater and writing a 100-word essay on how the scholarship would enhance their lives. The degree or certification pursued must enhance the employee’s capabilities in a position at the hospital.

This year, the Auxiliary was able to award four winners due to not having any last year during the pandemic. Winners are: Tyanna Jones of Brodnax; Tamara Starke of Emporia; Angie Tanner of La Crosse and Jennifer Weston of South Hill.

Jones is a patient access representative pursuing a bachelor of science in health service administration from Old Dominion University. She said in her essay, “My goal is to work in public health concentrating on maternal and infant health. With this scholarship and the need-based grants I have been awarded, I can complete my education and continue to solve problems and increase health care within my community.”

Starke is a certified pharmacy tech earning her associate degree in nursing from Southside Virginia Community College. She plans to go all the way through to a master’s degree. She said, “This scholarship gives me the opportunity to not only fulfill my dreams but hopefully keep the community healthy. I appreciate the opportunity to accomplish this goal and make it my duty to always advocate for the patients in my community.”

Tanner is a clinical quality analyst obtaining her bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in health care administration from Capella University, Inc. A 20-year veteran of VCU Health CMH, she has held off on her own education to put her two daughters through school, and now it is her turn. She explained, “Being the recipient of this scholarship would enhance my life by easing some of the financial burden placed on my family for this tremendous opportunity to learn, grow and enrich my future.”

Weston is a cardiac monitor tech also getting her associate degree in nursing from Southside Virginia Community College. At the age of 20, she had a kidney transplant. “I didn’t know anything about the medical field, but I got exposed to all types of health care professionals and decided that’s where I wanted to be,” Jennifer explained. “I worked as a pharmacy tech for 15 years and decided to switch to the broader field of nursing, where I can move up and choose my own specializations.”

VCU Health CMH is proud of its employees who are pursuing additional education to benefit their career path and improve patient care.