Special to Iredell Free News

Davis Regional Medical Center’s Sunshine Volunteer Association / Lillie Norket Scholarship Committee recently awarded $9,000 in scholarships to nine area students who are pursuing healthcare-related careers.

The scholarship program was established by the Volunteer Association in 1988 to honor Lillie Norket, a registered nurse and valued staff member of Davis Hospital for more than 60 years. Since its inception, the association has awarded over $264,000 to local students who are pursuing healthcare-related careers.

Students awarded scholarships for the 2020 Fall Semester include:

• Albert Chow, UNC Asheville, Physician Assistant
• Brittany Griffin, Wingate University, Pharmacist
• Summer Lackey, Elon University, Physician Assistant
• Emily Maxfield, Lenoir Rhyne, Pharmaceutical Research
• Ashton Parker, East Carolina University, Nursing
• Jessica Powell, Furman University, Occupational Therapist
• Brooke Simpson, UNC Wilmington, Nursing
• Olivia Townsell, UNC Chapel Hill, Occupational Therapist
• Meredith Wright, East Carolina University, Nursing

In addition to providing scholarships, the Sunshine Volunteer Organization offers cozy blankets for children in the ER, comfort bears for children hospitalized, baby caps for newborns, and Christmas presents for patients in the hospital on Christmas Eve. Funding for the association’s humanitarian efforts is made possible through donations, memorials, profits from the hospital’s volunteer gift shop and special event sales.

The Volunteer Association is led by Gillian Bostick, president; Barbara Vizard, vice-president; Carol Windsor, treasurer; and Terri Andrews, secretary.