Nicholas Ledbetter and Rylee Mitchell, both employees of Sparta Community Hospital, have each received a $1,000 Alene Holloway Nurse Scholarship. The scholarships will help them continue their studies to become Registered Nurses.
Mitchell is enrolled in the Associate Degree in Nursing program at Rend Lake College, while Ledbetter is pursuing the same degree at Southwestern Illinois College. Both recipients work at Sparta Community Hospital.
The scholarship was created by the family of Alene Holloway, RN, to mark her 90th birthday and support healthcare workers aiming for RN degrees. Holloway served nearly three decades with Sparta Community Hospital District as a registered nurse and later as a board member.
In a statement, Julie Holloway-Hirz said, “My siblings and I are thankful to honor our mother, Alene Holloway, with this annual nursing scholarship to a registered nurse student that shares her passion for nursing and her love for Sparta Community Hospital.”
Holloway began volunteering at Sparta Hospital in 1952 before graduating from Burnham School of Nursing in Champaign in 1954. She worked with the hospital until retiring in 1977 and later returned to work in Occupational Health at Captain Mine. She also contributed through roles on the boards of both SCHD and the Health and Wellness Foundation.
The Health and Wellness Foundation of Sparta Community Hospital District continues to back educational initiatives for future healthcare professionals and works to raise community awareness about these needs. Those seeking more information can contact Rev. Don Jones at 618-314-6811.
