Three area nursing students receive awards at holiday reception

Ashlie Krejci (front, from left) of Immaculata University, and Rachel Heisler and Bridget Phillips, both from the West Chester University School of Nursing, were each presented with a $1,000 Cardiac Rehab Nursing Scholarship from the Brandywine Health Foundation. Behind them (from left) are Jay Rooney, a co-f0under of the Maria Rooney Nursing Scholarship, and Cardiac Rehab Nursing Scholarship Award founders William R. Keen Jr., Roger Brown, and Louise DePedro.

Three local nursing students received a financial and educational boost last week from the Brandywine Health Foundation.

Ashlie Krejci of Immaculata University, and Rachel Heisler and Bridget Phillips, both from the West Chester University School of Nursing, were each awarded a $1,000 Cardiac Rehab Nursing Scholarship from the foundation, it announced in a news release.  The presentation occurred at a holiday reception sponsored by the Brandywine Hospital and the Brandywine Valley Cardiology’s Cardiac Rehab Center on Dec. 4.

Ashlie Krejci was also the recipient of the Marie Rooney Nursing Scholarship in memory of Laura Marie Rooney, established by her husband,  Jay Rooney, and her daughters, Celeste Gitthens and Yvette Contois, the release said.

Frances Sheehan, the foundation’s president and CEO, commented, “Community support of the Cardiac Rehab Nursing Scholarship Fund enables us to ensure that financial obligations are never an obstacle for our local nursing students.  We are pleased to continue to invest in local nursing students like Rachel Heisler, Ashlie Krejci and Bridget Phillips, so they can continue their nursing education.”

Sheehan said one of last year’s recipients, Philip Kasitz, reinforced the need for the scholarships when he told the foundation:  “Receiving the scholarship enabled me to have less of a financial burden, which in turn led to having more time to concentrate on my studies.  I was able to focus more on becoming a professional nurse than how I was going to come up with money for books.  I truly valued receiving financial help from the Brandywine Health Foundation.  Now that I have graduated and am practicing, I have considered setting up a scholarship fund for future nursing students.”

The Cardiac Rehab Nursing Scholarship Fund was started as a way to recognize the nursing staff at the Cardiac Rehab Center at Brandywine Hospital during the holiday season and has provided scholarships to 58 nursing students since its inception.  The Brandywine Health Foundation houses a variety of nursing scholarships, which are presented at both the December Cardiac Rehab Nursing Scholarship event and at an event held in the spring of each year. For additional information and/or to support the Brandywine Health Foundation’s Nursing Scholarship Funds, visit www.brandywinefoundation.org or contact Dana Heiman at dheiman@brandywinefoundation.org.