SECU Foundation awards funding to aid allied health students
By: Mike Gavin
Published: September 14, 2023
Officials from the North Carolina State Employees Credit Union Presented a check to Isothermal Community College this month. The funds will help defray costs for students in allied health programs. Pictured from left to right are Donna Hood, ICC's dean of Continuing Education; Dr. Greg Thomas, vice president of Student and Academic Affairs; Annette Blanton, SECU's senior vice president for the district; Chery Smith, vice president of the SECU Rutherfordton branch; and Tracey Evans, ICC’s director of Nursing and Health Sciences.
SPINDALE (Sept. 14, 2023) – The North Carolina SECU Foundation awarded scholarship funding this month for students at Isothermal Community College in nurse aide and other allied health programs.
Officials from the State Employees Credit Union presented a check for $18,000 to college administrators last Friday. The funding is expected to help up to 30 students with books, class supplies and scrubs.
“We appreciate this funding so much,” said Tracey Evans, ICC’s director of Nursing and Health Sciences. “When the students find out this money is available to them, they just light up. They often are making so many sacrifices to make a better life for themselves and their families, so it’s great to help them ease that burden in any way we can.”
The member-funded SECU Foundation introduced the program in 2018 to help students seeking to obtain careers with sustainable wages in their local communities.
Administered by Isothermal, the initiative focuses on assisting individuals with finding vocational and job placement opportunities through eligible training programs that lead to state-regulated or industry-recognized credentials. Scholarship funding is applied to educational expenses and other expenditures associated with their program of study through a North Carolina Community College workforce development program.
“This scholarship program goes to the heart of what SECU does in our communities,” said Annette Blanton, SECU’s district senior vice president. “It fills the gap with support for people to advance their careers, in turn making our communities better places.”
With the combined commitments for the SECU Bridge to Career and “People Helping People” Community College Scholarship programs, SECU Foundation funding for the NC Community College System totals over $1.6 million annually.
About SECU and SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the state of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for 85 years. SECU is the second largest credit union in the United States with $53 billion in assets and serves over 2.7 million members through 273 branch offices, over 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone, www.ncsecu.org and a Mobile App. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, and human services. Since 2004, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of over $235 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide.