WILMINGTON — In 1982 the U.S. Congress designated May 6 to be “National Recognition Day for Nurses.”
May 6 is also the first day of “Nurses Week” which concludes on May 12 — renowned nurse Florence Nightingale’s birthday — which coincides with “International Nurses Day”.
Each year International Nurses Week has a theme; this year’s is: “A voice to lead – A vision for future healthcare.”
The local voice for Nurses Training is Clinton County Voiture 992, of the 100-year-old national, invitation-only veterans charitable organization known as La Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses — The 40 & 8).
Nurses training scholarships have been a National Program since the 1950s and the number one program of Clinton County Voiture 992 (V-992) since they were chartered in1984. The small group of dedicated veterans have awarded at least one scholarship most every year since.
In honor of the selfless dedication to their profession and commitment that nurses have made to treating those affected by the current pandemic, V-992 will be awarding a $2,000 “Jeanette Payne Memorial Nurses Training Scholarship” on May 6, 2021 to an aspiring nurse.
Bob Rich, V-992 Nurses Training Directeur, announced that he has initiated a search for qualified candidates. Any Clinton County resident that has been accepted to an accredited school of nursing or is currently enrolled in one is eligible.
To apply, send the following to Mr. Rich at [email protected]: Brief resume; letter of acceptance and most recent transcript, or if currently enrolled, most recent transcript with cover letter describing why you are pursuing a career in nursing.
Applications must be received not later than April 1.
More US background
Years prior to President Ronald Reagan’s signing of the National Recognition Day for Nurses, in 1953 an official with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Dorothy Sutherland, asked President Dwight D. Eisenhower to proclaim a national “Nurses’ Day.”
He did not act on it that year, but National Nurses Week was celebrated the next year in October to mark the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s pioneering work in Crimea, thanks to a bill sponsored by Ohio Representative Frances P. Bolton.
The following year, Rep. Bolton, the first woman from Ohio elected to national office, introduced a bill to Congress, lobbying for the official recognition of the celebration. It was not until 1974 that President Nixon proclaimed a National Nurses Week.
