Sparta Community Hospital Employees Earn Alene Holloway Nurse Scholarships
Joann Emge, Sparta Community Hospital CEO; Rylee Mitchell, Recipient; Alene Holloway; Nicholas Ledbetter; Don Jones, Health and Wellness Foundation Executive Director.
Sparta Community Hospital District (SCHD) and the Health and Wellness Foundation are proud to announce that Nicholas Ledbetter and Rylee Mitchell have each been awarded a $1,000 Alene Holloway Nurse Scholarship to support their education toward becoming Registered Nurses.
Both recipients are valued employees of Sparta Community Hospital. Mitchell is currently enrolled in the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at Rend Lake College, while Ledbetter is pursuing his ADN at Southwestern Illinois College.
The Alene Holloway Nurse Scholarship was established by the family of Alene Holloway, RN, in honor of her 90th birthday to aid healthcare workers pursuing RN degrees. Holloway served Sparta Community Hospital District for nearly 30 years—first as a registered nurse and later as a member of the Board of Directors—and has dedicated her life to supporting SCHD and the education of aspiring healthcare professionals.
In recognition of her love and dedication to the profession, her family has chosen to honor her by providing this scholarship to a worthy candidate. “My siblings and I are thankful to honor our mother, Alene Holloway, with this annual nursing scholarship to a registered nurse student that shares her passion for nursing and her love for Sparta Community Hospital,” shares Holloway’s daughter, Julie Holloway-Hirz.
Holloway’s commitment to nursing began in 1952, when she volunteered as a “candy-striper” at Sparta Hospital on the 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift, four days a week. She graduated from the Burnham School of Nursing in Champaign, Illinois, in 1954, served SCHD until her retirement in 1977, and later returned to practice in Occupational Health at Captain Mine. Beyond bedside care, Holloway continued to advance local healthcare through service on the SCHD Board of Directors and the Health and Wellness Foundation Board of Directors, witnessing firsthand the hospital’s growth and its positive impact on the community.
The Health and Wellness Foundation of Sparta Community Hospital District supports the work of the Hospital in a variety of ways and encourages the support of the community by raising awareness of the educational needs of our future young healthcare professionals. For more information about the Health and Wellness Foundation, please contact Rev. Don Jones, at 618-314-6811.