Suppose you had washed dishes for 10 years and wanted to do something else. If you worked at Carolina Meadows, you could apply for a scholarship from the Residents Association to receive training for a better job.

There is such an employee at Carolina Meadows. Her scholarship gave her a start on more education, and she is now a certified nursing assistant at Carolina Meadows.

Twenty-two employees of Carolina Meadows recently applied for scholarships that are awarded annually by the Carolina Meadows Residents Association (CMRA). Eleven won -- nine were CMRA-supported at a cost of more than $3,500 and two were supported separately by a former resident's family.

The funds can be used for tuition, books and fees, and for seminars and continuing-education courses to help the winning employees to better themselves by pursuing a course of study. CMRA is a voluntary association of Carolina Meadows residents. Its funds come from dues and money-making projects such as the gift shop and periodic silent auctions.

The scholarship program started in 2000 and has awarded 49 scholarships over the last seven years.

This year's winners were announced and presented at a meeting of CMRA held in the Carolina Meadows auditorium on Sept. 13.

In addition to the nine scholarships funded by CMRA, two $1,000 scholarships are funded with money left by the late Doris Osterhout in appreciation of the care she received while a patient in the Health Center at Carolina Meadows. The applicants for these scholarships must be employed at Carolina Meadows as a certified nursing assistant or a medical technician.

Applicants for the scholarship supply recommendations from their supervisor and an essay explaining what they will do with the money. The Executive Committee of CMRA determines the winners.


Fulfilling goals

Scholarship winner Melissa Pope needs five more courses to obtain an associates degree in culinary technology from Guilford Technical Community College. She writes: "Since I was a little girl, my fondest memories have been of cooking, baking and just being in the kitchen. It is my favorite room in the house. Once I realized that I could make a career out of my love of food and cooking, I decided that I had to go for it."

Winner Jodi Biewen is an activities specialist in Carolina Meadows' assisted-living facility called the Fairways. She plans to use her scholarship to continue her work towards obtaining certification as an activity director.

"I have found my true calling in life and it is my intent to continuously develop my skills so that I am providing Carolina Meadows residents with the most up-to-date activity programs," she said. "This course will help fulfill that goal and receive my national certification."

Another winner, Caitlin Tucker, hopes to become a nurse. In her essay she writes: "I have always enjoyed the idea that everyday I will go to work I will be doing something great and helping to save peoples lives. Other than the knowledge I learned from my mother about nursing I have also experienced my grandmother's battle with Parkinson's disease. My sister and I would go down every summer to help my grandfather take care of her. It was through those summers that I realized the personal impact nurses have on their patients."

Debbie McCready is a two-time winner -- she won a scholarship in 2003 and another one this year. She was initially employed in the housekeeping department, but is now a certified nursing assistant, a medical technician and a notary public in the Assisted Living Facility. She says the scholarships have helped her advance in her field, snd since the scholarships are a gift from the residents, it is an honor to receive one. This year she will use her scholarship to take a course at Central Carolina Community College. She hopes to obtain a phlebotomy certificate that will authorize her to take blood. She finds her work both rewarding and fulfilling. She says one of the most satisfying things is to see a smile on a resident's face when she has done something for him or her, even the simplest things.

Dud Waldner, a past president of CMRA, sees the scholarships as a way for the residents to express their appreciation to employees for all of the things they do to make life better and more enjoyable at Carolina Meadows.

Current CMRA president Margaret Fallers believes the scholarship program is a good way for the Association to use some of its money. Speaking on behalf of the Residents Association, she said that with the increasingly high tuition costs and the high cost of text books, the Residents Association is glad to have the opportunity to assist, in a small way, students undertaking the difficult task of, at the same time, working, going to school, and often assisting with family responsibilities as well.


WINNERS

The 2007 scholarship winners:

Employee	Job Title	Type of Study
Jodi Biewen	Activities Spec.	Nat'l. Cert.
Teresa Johnson	Wait Staff	Mass Communications
Chelsea Malek	Wait Staff	Health Svc. Mgmt.
Michelle Marino	Wellness Spec.	Spanish Conversational
Melissa Pope	Wait Staff	Culinary Technology
Sabrina Smith	Wait Staff	Radiography
Caitlin Tucker	Wait Staff	Nursing
Casey Felicita	Cert. Nursing Ass't.	Nursing
Deborah McCready	Med. Tech	Phlebotomy Cert.
Dinah Davis	Cert. Nursing Ass't.	General Education
Charline McDonald	Cert. Nursing Ass't.	Nursing/Child Dvp.