The Park Springs Foundation, a volunteer-run organization comprised of members of Park Springs Life Plan Community, will award Park Springs employees and children of employees with scholarships of up to $10,500 for the 2021-2022 academic year. Scholarships provide up to $3,000 toward tuition and up to $500 toward books per semester for three semesters each year – fall, spring and summer – for those working toward academic degrees, skill development or certification at any not-for-profit private or public college, university or technical school. In the 2020-2021 academic year, Park Springs Foundation contributed $66,672 to the education of 24 Park Springs employees and their children.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide this financial support to the employees of Park Springs and their children so that they can further their education and fulfill their dreams,” said Katrina Shoemaker, president of the Park Springs Foundation. “The employees at Park Springs are our second family and we are grateful for the way they go over and above for us each day. Providing scholarships for them and their families is our way of showing our appreciation in a way that is meaningful.”

Beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year, spouses of employees may also apply for scholarships. Scholarships are provided for the cost of education and no application is denied so long as the application meets the basic criteria: applicant, their parent or spouse has been an employee of Park Springs for one year at time of scholarship award and applicant is attending a not-for-profit educational institution. In addition to the financial support, Park Springs Foundation provides each scholar with a mentor to assist them with the application process and to offer guidance throughout the scholars’ educational careers, as desired.

“This is a wonderful benefit and I am so thankful that I have been able to use the Park Springs Foundation scholarship to further both my own education and my daughter’s education as well,” shared Juliet Bakare, a certified nurse assistant in home healthcare at Park Springs who is earning her degree in health information management at Georgia Piedmont Technical College and whose daughter, Kemi Bakare, is a pre-med student at University of Georgia.

2021-2022 Park Springs Foundation scholars are enrolled in various programs, predominantly nursing and health management programs but also including programs such as computer science, early childhood development and history. They are enrolled at educational institutions including Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Augusta Technical College, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Military College, Georgia Piedmont Technical College, Georgia Southern University, Georgia State University, Gwinnett Technical College, Southern Crescent Technical College and University of Georgia.