It’s summertime! This time of year, schools and colleges of nursing press on with many accelerated programs across the state to help replenish the nursing workforce. Summer is also when many student nurses do externships, and graduate-level nurses work dili-gently on summer classes to prepare themselves for the fall clinicals. Nurses and nurse practitioners are clinicians we count on year-round to assist with all patient needs. Their continued progression is of paramount importance. So, now is the time you can sup-port their educational needs through initiatives to raise scholarship funds. As we approach fall, SCNF will engage in multiple ways to award and provide scholarships to individuals seeking support to pursue their dreams.

The Nurse License Plate initiative goes on year-round, providing funds for scholarships for nurses and student nurses. You can visit the SCNF website anytime and click the link to purchase your nurse license plate. The site will link you to the Department of Motor Vehi-cles (DMV), where you can set up payment and allow those funds to help student nurses and nurses continue their education. SCNF will also begin selecting undergraduate and graduate student nurses who have earned scholarships for 2024. However, the opportunities to raise funds for nurses and student nurses are beyond there. Just Cause Apparel continues its initiative to support undergraduate and graduate student nurses, with 50% of the profits from the purchase of scrubs going to scholarships if you choose SCNF as your cause of choice. You can also donate anytime to SCNF to support scholarships. To learn more about ways you can donate, please visit our social media pages or our website at www.scnursesfoundation.org.

Caring for others requires learning more, and learning more requires caring more. If we strive to help individuals realize their dreams and ambitions of becoming nurses or advanced practice nurses, we can give to a common need that supports us all. We can help them overcome obstacles, be bold in our endeavors, and allow compassionate people who gracefully serve others every day to achieve their goals. Our humanity is what drives us to care for others more than we care for ourselves.

South Carolina (SC) needs more nurses. Nurses need scholarships. Becoming a nurse or advanced practice nurse takes massive effort financially, physically, and mentally. Earning a nursing degree can take from 2-4 years. Advanced practice degrees add 2-3 years to achieve. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.) degrees add another 1-6 years of education. These educational goals are not just for individuals; the patients receive better care and outcomes with more highly educated nurses. SCNF’s mission is to provide scholarships for nurses and to ease the burden of the cost of an education. Now is the time to consider giving to the SCNF. You can donate in various ways. The SCNF social media accounts link back to the main website, where a donate button can be found. The license plate initiative shows everyone you are a nurse. Midlands Gives offers another method of supporting nurses across the state. Palmetto Gold will begin its nomination process in the months ahead, providing another means to support scholarships. Bequeathments from estates and “Friends of the Foundation” donations help offset the cost of running SCNF. The Board of Trustees for SCNF are all volunteers. We all understand how hard nurses work. SCNF is working hard to help nurses, but this cannot be done without you! We want to help people pursue their dreams. Remember: SC needs nurses, and SCNF needs donations to give nurses and student nurses more scholarships. Please donate today!