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Karen Pickard receives Nursing Philanthropy Award

By Judy Aliquo, CFRE, President and CEO Beebe Medical Foundation

It is terrific to celebrate amazing people, especially nurses. On May 7, the Beebe Medical Foundation honored an incredible leader and colleague, Karen Pickard, with our first Nursing Philanthropy Award. Karen is the Administrator to the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing.

The award was presented during a very special evening of celebrating many Beebe Healthcare nurses with the Nursing Excellence Awards. Held at the Rusty Rudder, Alex Pires was generous to host this event for us and provide a wonderful venue for the night.

The Nursing Philanthropy Award is given to a nurse whose career and service to the community embodies several or all of the following criteria. Nominees have been recognized by grateful patients through the Celebrate Excellent Care program. Nominees attend or volunteer at Beebe Medical Foundation events and/or have organized a fundraising event benefitting the Beebe Medical Foundation. Nominees are active donors, Giving Hands Society members, or 1916 Club members and are willing to speak with donors about philanthropy.

Karen Pickard is a true Beebe Believer. She and her husband, Tom, are proud members of the 1916 Club. Karen and Tom always attend our events and can often be counted on to be the winner bidder of an item. We are grateful for the support of many of nurses, like Karen, who give back to Beebe – the place they work and love.

At the Beebe Medical Foundation, we have the great privilege of working with amazing colleagues like Karen. Under Karen’s leadership, the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing educates the best nurses; many are thrilled to join the Beebe Team after graduation. We consistently have the highest NCLEX Pass Rate—the nursing licensure exam—in the state. This is only possible with excellent teachers as well as extraordinary clinical experience at Beebe.

We are thrilled to honor Karen for her partnership with the Foundation. Karen was recently honored by the Rollins family with the $1 million endowment to support professional development for the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing faculty. Each year Karen provides an update to the contributors to the School about the exciting happenings at the School.

Many donors are interested in funding nursing scholarships. Karen and her team have partnered with the Foundation to award the scholarships and to celebrate and honor the donors who have so generously supported our nurses to be.

A few years ago with Karen’s recommendation and support, we added the Margaret H. Rollins Philanthropy Award to recognize and outstanding student who have given back to Beebe and the community. The graduate is recognized at graduation. This year’s graduation is on May 30 at 6 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, all are welcomed.

As a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system, Beebe Healthcare depends on the generous support of individuals, corporations, businesses, and private foundations. All gifts to Beebe Healthcare, large or small, are tax-deductible and are channeled through Beebe Medical Foundation. To learn more about how you can make a gift to support nursing students attending the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Healthcare, please contact the Beebe Medical Foundation at (302) 644-2900 or email [email protected].