Mat-Su Health Foundation awards $295,000 in scholarships

WASILLA — The Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded $294,728 in scholarships to 75 local students pursuing careers in health and wellness.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship program was created to build Mat-Su’s health care workforce of the future by encouraging local residents to pursue education in high-demand health and wellness fields. The scholarships are offered in two categories: academic scholarships, for students pursuing college degrees with health or wellness majors; and vocational scholarships to assist students with the cost of training and certifications for jobs in health- and wellness-related fields.

Two of the academic scholarships were given in honor of revered and respected former employees of Valley Hospital. The 2015 Annie Demming Scholarship was awarded to Craig Dollerhide. Demming served as director of the Medical Records Department for Valley Hospital and retired after 28 years of service.

The Vivian Shaver Scholarship was awarded to Kaitlin Daly, and this scholarship is given in honor of Vivian “Babe” Shaver, who worked at Valley Hospital and died in 1978.

Academic scholarship recipients are: Bonita Alderman; Kathryn Albert; Nathan Allton; Aneglica Baalam; Alan Bartelli; Marissa Beachell; Debra Blanchard; Daniel Brunnhoelzl; Colleen Bue; Miracle Burton; Joshun Christensen; Kritsa Croy; Bryan Dahms; Kaitlin Daly; Adinda Demske; Sara Diltz; Craig Dollerhide; Ashlyn Dorn; Starr Flavin; Nikita Foster; Shannan Garcia; Mary Geist; Adrian Giani; Raynie Hamlin; Jara Hicks; Stephanie Huycke; Sabrina Jurasek; Emma Lark; Jennifer Lee; Ruth Malek; Richard Manrique; Blake Marks; Candace Mauldin; Valencia McPhail; Nancy Means; Lily Michels; Banu Mufale; Marshal Packa; Katherine Paulick; RuVonne Parson; Terri Reynolds-Rogers; Brinnlee Salmon; Kelsey Schober; Charles Seddon; Ariel Sizemore; Alexa Starr; Bailey Stevenson; Rebecca Stiner; Molly Sullivan; Terra Swartzbacker; Kalia Thao; Kiana Verplancke; Michelle Warner; Jake Williams; Eli Wouk; and Rashayne Zimmer.

The vocational scholarship program has no closing date, and awards are made throughout the year. Recipients of vocational scholarships awarded from June 2014 to May 2015 are: Penny Alstrom; Jessica Brent; Genya Burns; Vanessa Campbell; Antonia Commack; Hannah Cruse; Alexis Freland; Charlotte Mahoy; Jeremy Manley; Annelyssa Massie; Renae Nelson; Svetlana Pavlus; Cecelia Reichard; Colleen Rice; James Rogers; Kathryn Rose; Laura Sakraida; Charli Wooten; and Heather Vest.

For more information, visit healthymatsu.org.