Nursing students donate to community
PRESQUE ISLE — A group of students from Northern Maine Community College is giving back to the community after months of hard work, planning and fundraising.
Photo courtesy of Northern Maine Community College
THE AROOSTOOK HOUSE OF COMFORT will benefit from a generous gift from NMCC’s Student Nurses Association. Each year, the SNA makes a contribution to one or more families, service-oriented agencies or organizations that reflect the mission of the association. Pictured from, from left: SNA members Lisa Plucker, Jenny McPherson and Debby Page; SNA adviser Sue Dugal, Janet Durgin, nursing instructor; and Rick Duncan, chair of the Aroostook Hospice Foundation board of directors. The money was raised through various fundraisers including the Thankful Days raffle, the Yankee Candle sale and a handmade quilt raffle. The house will be built on a parcel of land on U.S. Route 1 between Presque Isle and Caribou, and construction is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2015.
Each year, the Student Nurses Association (SNA) makes a contribution to one or more families, service-oriented agencies or organizations that reflect the mission of the association. This year, the nursing students are donating $800 to the soon-to-be-built Aroostook House of Comfort, $800 to Jada Robbins of Fort Fairfield for medical expenses, $250 to fellow student Debby Page to help with her grandchild’s medical bills and $250 to fellow student Lisa Scott for her son’s medical expenses.
SNA has held several fundraisers at NMCC including the Thankful Days raffle, the Yankee Candle sale and a handmade quilt raffle.
“We chose the Aroostook House of Comfort because it’s important for families and patients to be extremely comfortable during a patient’s final days. With homelike surroundings and specialized care, it’s possible to build consoling memories,” said Jenny McPherson, SNA president. “Our group benefits from amazing faculty leadership, and every student member shares the same mission: to give back to community. Last year we made a donation to Hurricane Sandy victims.”
“We were surprised and overwhelmed by the generosity of the NMCC nursing students and the college community — in general — for supporting these fundraisers and then offering the proceeds to the new hospice facility,” said Richard Duncan, chair of the Aroostook Hospice Foundation board of directors. “This group of students has a real sensitivity for the needs of patients and their families, and we are grateful for their efforts which will make the Aroostook House of Comfort a reality.”
The facility will serve all of Aroostook County as an inpatient hospice and palliative care facility for terminally ill patients. The house will be built on a parcel of land on U.S. Route 1 between Presque Isle and Caribou, and construction is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2015.
