Giving Tuesday 2024

December 2, 2024

Giving Tuesday is About Giving Chances to Someone Like Me.

Give a chance to a nurse like me and your generosity will go twice as far.

Everyone has a moment in life when they are given a chance—when an act of kindness allows us to chase a dream. For me, that moment came when I received a nursing scholarship made possible by The Debra Coffman Howe Nursing Scholarship Fund at Palm Health Foundation. It was the opportunity to finally become an RN, a journey I started twenty years ago, but life happened.


My husband was involved in a critical motorcycle accident that brought many changes to my everyday life. I became his primary caretaker and our household’s main source of income, working multiple jobs to meet my family's basic needs. 


Despite everything around me, I’m still standing because of the gift a donor made to Palm Health Foundation.

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I no longer worry if paying for tuition will take away from a light bill, meals for our family, or something my son needs for school. I can focus on studying and my important job as an LPN/chronic kidney disease clinic coordinator at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, where I have spent the last eight years treating the young patients I call “my children.”


Working at the kidney disease clinic is my chance to give back. To ensure my children’s kidney disease doesn’t progress. To educate their parents and build their knowledge and confidence. And to develop relationships with each child as they grow, encouraging them to do well in school, go on to college, and follow their dreams. My own dream is to become a community health RN and open a respite care center.


On Giving Tuesday, you can give a nurse like me a chance to realize her dream—and your generosity will go twice as far. From now through January 31, 2025, Palm Health Foundation is matching every donation to The Nursing Advancement Fund and all nursing scholarship funds, dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000!


This is your chance to double your gift of kindness. When you do, nurses like me together with donors like you will make an immeasurable impact on our community.


With appreciation,

Keosha Barry

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Keosha with her fellow scholars and their donor, Debra Coffman Howe.

About Palm Health Foundation Scholarships

Palm Health Foundation has granted more than $4 million in nursing and behavioral health professions scholarships for advanced education since its founding in 2001. The foundation partners with the George Snow Scholarship Fund to administer scholarships with nursing scholarship funding provided through Palm Health Foundation’s Nursing Advancement Fund, and donor advised funds, including The Debra Coffman Howe Nursing Scholarship Fund, The Alonso Family Neighborhood Healthcare Fund, The Andrew P. Barowsky Scholarship Fund, The Charles Norton Adams Nursing Endowment Scholarship Fund, The Helen K. Persson Nursing Education Fund, The Joseph Dolce Surgical Nursing Scholarship Fund, The Peter & Elinka Ordway Nursing Scholarship Fund, The Madeline and Delaney Nursing Scholarship Fund, and The Sutton Kailey Nursing Advancement Fund.


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Palm Health Foundation ’s Scholarship Reception on November 2, 2024, brought together nursing and behavioral health scholars with their donors for an inspiring evening at the stunning Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens (ANSG) in West Palm Beach, FL. Over 190 guests attended the event to celebrate 92 scholarship recipients, the largest group of scholars in the history of the foundation due to a generous gift from Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network (SEFBHN). Frances Fisher generously underwrote the reception at ANSG where she serves as chairwoman. ANSG’s natural gardens and monumental sculptures served as the perfect setting for scholars and their donors to meet each other, all expressing gratitude. Guests and donors thanked the scholars for their dedication to the healthcare workforce of South Florida, and scholars thanked donors for their generosity that enabled them to continue their education. “The scholarship recipients here tonight are not only the future of South Florida’s healthcare system, but also the heart and soul of our community,” said Fisher. “I am inspired by their dedication, and I am grateful to our donors who are helping to shape a brighter, healthier future for all.” The $530,000 awarded in needs-based scholarship funds will help address significant shortages in the nursing and behavioral health care workforce. Donor funding will also help humanize health by advancing the careers of healthcare professionals with lived experience and cultural competencies to serve South Florida’s diverse population, a need echoed by Abigail Goodwin, executive vice president of Palm Health Foundation, in her address to scholars. “Your ability to bridge languages and cultures is critical to providing quality care for our dynamic South Florida communities, making our entire region healthier and stronger,” Goodwin said. “You are here today because you’ve demonstrated dedication, perseverance, and a true desire to serve your neighbors. Palm Health Foundation is proud to support, honor, and uplift you as you continue your journey.” Goodwin closed the event by announcing another gratitude opportunity to donors. From December 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025, Palm Health Foundation is matching every donation to The Nursing Advancement Fund and all nursing scholarship funds—dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000. Palm Health Foundation nursing scholarships support students with financial need in LPN, undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programs in Palm Beach County. “Through our charitable funds and with the collaboration of donors, residents, and partners, we are building a culture of health for all in our community,” said Dr. Marsha Fishbane, chair of the Palm Health Foundation Board of Trustees. Notable attendees at the event included: Frances Fisher, PHF Trustee and scholarship fund holder; Dr. Marsha Fishbane, Palm Health Foundation chair, and trustees Dr. Naelys Luna, Barbara James, Clovis Moodie, and Nathan Nason; scholarship fund holders Debra Coffman Howe, Ann Berner, Dr. Alina Alonso, Denise Bober, and Carrie Browne and Donald Smith-Browne; and Tim Snow, president of George Snow Scholarship Fund.  To make a gift or create a donor advised fund to support health professions scholars, please contact Carrie Browne, director of stewardship and strategic partnerships, (561) 837-2281, carrieb@phfpbc.org .
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