South Walton Couple Begin OWC Nursing Scholarship
01/11/2005
When Jack and Harriett Kent of Miramar Beach thought about beginning a scholarship at Okaloosa-Walton College, these former mid-westerners pondered a bit about what to do, when to do it, and who their scholarship should help.
An e-mail letter from Jack to his adult daughters, Julie and Jennifer, tells the rest of the story and how a new scholarship for the college's health technology program became a reality " a story truly told best in the words of the donor of this new scholarship at OWC.
To share the reasons behind the decision to sponsor a nursing scholarship, Jack Kent wrote:
"Hello Julie & Jennifer, As you know we have been heavily involved or at least involved here at the community college. . . We wanted to leave a legacy of some kind at the college and decided that funding a nursing scholarship named the 'Harriett Ann Kent Nursing Scholarship' was a good way to do it. Obviously this costs money. The full cost is $20,000. However, with matching funds from the state, our out-of-pocket expense is $12,000. Not an insignificant number by any means. The scholarship would provide about $1,200 a year for tuition and books. I was at a scholarship sponsor's luncheon today up at the college as a representative for the South Walton Water Company. We sponsor a scholarship too. At any rate, at the luncheon they acknowledged all of the sponsors and all the recipients. Many of the recipients made comments about what their scholarship meant to them. The typical nursing student is a person returning to school after being out in the working world for a while. Many were single mothers. Their expressions of gratitude were heartfelt. Many were in tears, saying 'I could not be pursing my nursing degree without this funding. It allowed me to pursue a career that I have only dreamed about in the past.' Your Mother has capitalized on her nursing background" as a wife, a mother caring for you, as a neighbor, as a hospital nurse, a private duty nurse and a self-employed rehabilitation consultant. This provided loving care to all us and additional family income. It also gave her a great feeling of self worth and achievement--especially when she was in business for herself. That took courage to undertake competing with a number of others providing the same service and she was very successful. I was and am very proud of her. At any rate, this scholarship provides us with the opportunity to 'pay back' an obligation I think we have. If we can help someone achieve the same success that your Mother has enjoyed, we'll have achieved our goal. Incidentally, the scholarship will go on forever. The annual funding comes from the interest on the $20,000 that is invested. I hope you agree that this was a wise decision that you fully support.
Both of the Kent daughters were enthusiastic about their parents' decision to sponsor a nursing scholarship. "I have tears in my eyes. Your words and the scholarship are both a beautiful tribute to mom. What a fantastic idea!" replied Kent daughter Jennifer. The Kent's other daughter, Julie, also noted her support, "Just think of the benefit you're giving to the community by helping to bring in trained nurses. Changing someone's life -- and not just the students you're helping, it's a ripple effect."
OWC offers two nursing programs, a Registered Nursing program for the Associate degree, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a joint program with the University of West Florida. Dr. Bob Richburg, OWC president, noted that 117 students are currently enrolled in the college's nursing programs and that 27 locally sponsored scholarships are currently available for nursing students.
"We are so appreciative for the scholarship support we've already received, like that provided by the Kents," said Richburg. "But, there is still a real need for more scholarships so that we can help worthy students pursue nursing and other health technology degree programs."
For information, contact the OWC Foundation at 729-5357 or visit www.owc.edu/healthtech on the Internet.
