Your Gift + Their Grit

Jan 05, 2024

Give to nursing students who never give up on their dreams—or their patients.

After Dercas Caneus lost her father in 2021, she inherited his role as the head of her household. Continuing her nursing education seemed like it might be impossible, but she also inherited her father’s tenacity and grit.

She persevered, and with the support of The Helen K. Persson Nursing Education Fund at Palm Health Foundation, she is becoming the caring, compassionate health professional she always aspired to be—and the kind of nurse we would all want in our time of need.

Giving to nursing scholarships at Palm Health Foundation—or starting your own named fund—is a gift to a student like Dercas and a gift to strengthen the culture of health in Palm Beach County, a calling that benefits us all.

Give now through January 31, 2024, and Palm Health Foundation will match your contribution dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact!

Give Now

Dercas’ Story

“Palm Health Foundation’s scholarship is helping me become the first in my family to obtain a college degree and live out my dream of leaving a meaningful legacy that benefits the world.

As a child of Haitian immigrant parents, I saw the value of nursing and how it can impact the community and break down cultural barriers within healthcare.

From the beginning of my nursing career as an orthopedic nurse assistant, I also saw how compassion and companionship can start the healing process. As I helped a knee replacement patient through her pain and discomfort, I saw her regain confidence and independence. Upon discharge, as I said goodbye, she grabbed my hand while tears formed at the corners of her eyes and thanked me.Her gratitude made a profound impact on me, capturing my heart for healthcare and nursing.

I want to be the kind of nurse who can sit at eye-level with her patients, share those tender moments, and provide them the solace they seek, with non-judgment.

As I gained experience in my career, I learned that it was a privilege to be involved in patient care. Being with family during their loved one's final moments was an honor. It was a treasure to share the joys and smiles of a patient's recovery. I learned that sporadic hugs, melodic hums, and notes of encouragement to colleagues during a stressful day are like sustenance to the soul.

Through it all, I valued the art of connecting with people, something that will be so important when I become a critical care nurse after I complete my education. When saving a patient's life, nursing combines intuition, constant communication, and anticipatory actions—for the patient and for the family that awaits their loved one’s return. And I will return my scholarship donor’s gift through every patient I am honored to serve throughout my career.”

-Dercas, Palm Health Foundation nursing scholarship recipient

Give Now

Support more nursing students like Dercas.

100% of your donation will support local students, and Palm Health Foundation will match your gift, dollar-for-dollar.

Give Now

Learn more about Palm Health Foundation’s Nursing Scholarships Match!

< Older Post Newer Post >

Palm Beach County Visionaries to Unveil “Brain Coast” Vision During October’s Train the Brain Month

07 Oct, 2024

Leaders believe shared vision, determination, science, education, collaboration, and investment can transform the South Florida region and change the world.

Palm Health Foundation Appoints New Community Investment Committee Members

07 Oct, 2024

Palm Beach County leaders will guide foundation’s grantmaking initiatives to help residents thrive and reach their full health potential.

A PHF Scholar Dedicated to Supporting her Hispanic Community

18 Sep, 2024

Palm Health Foundation behavioral health scholarship recipient Beatriz Moreno remembers the first time she was made aware that she was a first-generation student. “I was applying to colleges in my junior year of high school with my high school counselor and I had to answer what level of education my parents had completed,” said the Argentine American scholar. “As I sat there, I realized that neither of my parents had completed a college degree in the United States. I was the eldest child to start that journey.” It was the beginning of her educational pursuit to combine her interest in behavioral health with her passion for helping people from Hispanic cultures. “Stigma surrounds mental health in the Hispanic community,” she said. “It prevents people from receiving the proper supports, especially when acculturating to a new way of life. And it affects their children.”

Building our Culture of Health Network

30 Aug, 2024

In April, Palm Health Foundation and partners convened at the Community Changemakers Gathering to celebrate the Culture of Health Network that formed The Community Changemakers Fund , and learn about the projects that applied for and received funding to continue their health advancement work.

NeuroArts in Our Schools

30 Aug, 2024

The Palm Beach County School District’s Department of Behavioral and Mental Health provided a Summer Institute for our 180 school behavioral health professionals, focusing on how the neuroarts contribute to mental health and well-being.

Glades Senior Citizen Prom is a “Night to Remember”

31 Jul, 2024

If anyone saw “Anthony Cannonball” Cannon do his famous dance to Teddy Pendergrass’s “Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose,” at the Fourth Annual Glades Tri-Cities Senior Citizens Prom on June 1, 2024, they would have thought he was back in high school.