All employees who have worked at Carolina Meadows for at least six months are eligible to apply for the grants for use at any accredited institution. Applicants are not restricted to study in areas related to their employment at Carolina Meadows and are not required to continue as employees. The award may be used for books and fees to suit the needs of the individual.

The scholarship recipients are a lively bunch. Deborah McCready started as a housekeeper and used her scholarship to attend Central Carolina Community College to become a certified nursing assistant. With a little leftover tuition money, she obtained her notary license and is pleased to provide free notary service to residents of Carolina Meadows.

McCready received a second scholarship and has become a state registered phlebotomist. Whenever she has extra money in her scholarship account, she uses it to take enrichment courses.

"I find pleasure in working with Carolina Meadows residents, and before my work and study became more demanding, I volunteered for extra duty as a campus driver," she said.

Charlene McDonald, formerly on the wait staff at Carolina Meadows, used her first scholarship to become a certified nursing assistant in the Fairways Assistant Living. She received her second award for study this year and attends North Carolina Central University, where she will obtain her bachelor's degree in nursing. The scholarship pays for approximately half the tuition. The courses are challenging, but McDonald still finds time to work every other weekend in the Fairways. Dedicated to her profession, she is looking forward to serving others as a registered nurse.

A shining light in the Carolina Meadows dining room for many years, Sabrina Smith earned fame among the restidents for always knowing all theirnames. She used her first scholarship to attend Central Carolina Community College and became an accredited phlebotomist in 2005.

With this new skill, she was accepted for employment at UNC Hospitals. She has now received her second scholarship from Carolina Meadows and is studying full-time at Wake Technical Community College to become a radiology technician.

Her courses and study sessions keep her busy, but she makes time every few weeks to come to Carolina Meadows to visit residents who have become friends.

Each year about 20 employees apply for scholarships. Usually, five grants are made.

In addition to the Residents Association scholarships, two families of residents have recently given scholarships in memory of relatives who were at Carolina Meadows.

The Osterhout family and friends have given money in memory of Doris Osterhout to be used by an employee working as a certified nursing assistant or medical technician. The grant is to be made for five years.

The family of Irwin S. and Jeanette H. Wolf has also given scholarships for employees working in the Health Center who wish to pursue a degree or certification in health care.

The same selection process is used to choose the memorial scholarships and the Residents Association awards.

All of the recipients of the scholarships report that the grants have made a significant financial contribution toward their education.