Three Winners Announced by Braly Scholarship Commitee

Dallas, GA –the S.U. Braly Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the 2016 scholarship-loan recipients. The recipients are: Rachel Aquilino, of Dallas, who is receiving $1000 to pursue a career in healthcare administration through an online program with Ashford University in San Diego, California The second recipient is Taneshia Chin-Morgan of Dallas, who is receiving $1000 to pursue her nursing education at Georgia Highlands College to become an R.N. She was a previous recipient of $500 in 2013, when she was striving to become an L.P.N. The third recipient is Darryl Davis, a 2016 graduate of North Paulding High School, who is planning to attend Armstrong State University in Savannah and hopes to become a Physical Therapist.
All three recipients plan to pay off their scholarship-loans after completing their programs by working in Paulding County following their graduation with one month of service worth $100 credit, so a $1000 loan would require 10 months of service and a $500 loan would require just 5 months of service after graduation and - employment to be paid off. Loans may also be paid off in dollars if the graduate does not complete the program or decides to work elsewhere following graduation.
Rachel is a single mother of an 8-year- old daughter. She is currently employed as a C.N.A. at the WellStar Paulding Nursing and Rehab Center. Growing up, she attended the Boys and Girls Club in Dallas and is now a volunteer at the WellStar Paulding Gift Shop. She wants to have experience in different areas of healthcare but aspires to eventually become an ultrasound technician. She states that she desires “to help people and wants to make a difference.” Also, “as a single mother, I want to better myself so I will be proud of myself and my daughter will be as well.” The Director of the Boys and Girls Club states Rachel “is very disciplined and focused” and is a very “deserving person”. The Gift Shop Manager at the hospital says the she is “reliable and dedicated with a very positive attitude.”
Taneshia is currently working as an L.P.N in the WellStar Paulding Nursing and Rehab Center and has been employed there since 2005. She started with training as a C.N.A. and then went on to school at Chattahoochee Tech to become an L.P.N, and is now working toward her R. N. Her ultimate goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner in Gerontology. She is married to Calvin Morgan and they have three children. A co-worker describes Taneshia to be “a kind, caring and compassionate nurse” who has a positive attitude and is very enthusiastic when handling new tasks, and always ready to teach and share her knowledge. Another co-worker admires her dedication to her education as she “juggles work, family life and education, being able to keep those balls in the air and yet maintain high standards in all of her roles”.
Darryl is a former employee at Little Caesar’s in Dallas and is an active volunteen with WellStar Paulding Hospital in Hiram and has also has volunteered with Helping Hands of Dallas, and MUST Ministries. He is Founder of “Students Turn Up 4 Scholarships”. As a student of North Paulding, he was a member of the PTSA, HOSA, and was Student Vice President for Blacks United for Youth Leadership Academy. He has his CPR certification and is also currently taking a C.N.A. course. Darryl expresses that his “eventual professional goal” is to obtain a degree in nursing and physical therapy and work in pediatrics and geriatrics. He is the only child of a single mother. Glowing recommendations for this scholarship came from a variety of people, including NPHS instructor, counselor, and lead trainer for BUY-Cobb as well as from the organizations where he has volunteered. Several mentioned his great attitude, that he is “well-rounded, selfless and dependable”, volunteering over 137 hours at Helping Hands and even came in during all their school breaks and “labors tirelessly completing any task given without hesitation or complaints”—not at all like a typical teenager and that there “is nothing average about Darryl! The hospital Volunteer Services Manager says that he is “punctual, thorough and an excellent team player who is focused and career oriented” and that he is always “willing to step in and fill an immediate need and always with a positive attitude”. He was mostly assigned to the Rehab Department and assisted the physical therapist with orthopedic rehab patients in the hospital and the nursing center. He currently volunteers in Emergency Department.
The Braly Scholarship Fund was launched in 1982 in memory of the late Samuel U. Braly who died July 4, 1978. At the time of his death, many Paulding County residents donated money instead of sending flowers to start this fund. Although the county felt a tremendous loss, his legacy continues through the Braly Scholarship Fund. The Braly Scholarship Program is designed to help those who want to serve Paulding County in a health career in positions needed at WellStar Paulding Hospital and/or Nursing and Rehab Center.
Over the years, a total of 75 awards have been given, with $50,057 awarded to a total of 52 recipients (some received multiple awards). Some of the early recipients have retired, moved on, and one has expired, but we still currently have 11 working at Paulding Hospital and Nursing Center. A scholarship-loan may be repaid through service after graduation. Scholarship applicants are considered on the basis of financial need, potential for completing their field of study and willingness to pursue a health career that would benefit Paulding County through service at the hospital or nursing home. Applications for the scholarship-loans are accepted between January and April each year. The Braly Scholarship committee is comprised of members of Dr. Braly's family, community friends and employees at the hospital where Doctor Braly served for twenty years. Current members include Sam Braly, Raymond Moody, Robin Ragsdale, Genevieve Cole, Joyce Hulsey, Carol O’Connell, Pat Pace, Vickie Jones, Donna Mikeal, Imogene Nelson, Barbara Cooper Ragsdale, Uhland Braly, and Jane Ragsdale.
The fund is sustained through donations, memorials, and fundraisers, such as the patio sale at the WellStar Paulding Nursing and Rehab Center, spearheaded by Imogene Nelson, Nursing Center employee. Donations and memorials are tax deductible and are encouraged to be made to honor or in memory of someone, especially those who appreciate healthcare workers and persons who support Paulding County—its healthcare and jobs/careers in Paulding County. Instead of flowers, a memorial given to this fund is a wonderful way to remember a loved one and the loving service of Dr. Braly, who served this county for so many years.
Donation checks should be made out to “Community Foundation of Paulding, Inc.” with a note that it is for the Braly Scholarship Fund. It can be given to any of the Braly Committee Members (listed above) or mailed to Joyce Hulsey or Carol O’Connell at WellStar Paulding Nursing Center, 600 W. Memorial Drive, Dallas, GA, 30132