Pictured are several Morning Pointe of Athens residents with several Tennessee Wesleyan University students during the last Service Day at the Assisted Living community
The Morning Pointe Foundation and Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens recently announced a new scholarship partnership for nursing, occupational therapy and social work students.
The Morning Pointe Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living. The 501(c)(3) non-profit organization provides scholarship opportunities, forms community partnerships and supports caregivers in its mission to advance the care of seniors throughout the Southeast. The Foundation has provided more than 112 scholarships since its founding in 2014.
“As a nurse myself who works in the senior living field, seeing more educational opportunities for those wanting to become nurses, OTs or social workers is a blessing to our wider community and its senior population,” said Crystal Sutton, LPN, executive director of the Morning Pointe of Athens Assisted Living.
“We have enjoyed the Foundation’s partnership with our local TCAT and welcome Tennessee Wesleyan. Even if the scholarship recipients work elsewhere in the local community, many of them will likely touch our Morning Pointe residents and other seniors in their careers. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
The scholarships will be given one per year for the next three years:
- $2,000 scholarship for nursing;
- $2,000 scholarship for occupational therapy; and
- $1,000 scholarship for social work.
“On behalf of the students in nursing, occupational therapy and social work at Tennessee Wesleyan University, I am honored to thank Morning Pointe Foundation for the generous scholarship support being given to these hard-working students,” said Dr. Tyler Forrest, president of Tennessee Wesleyan University. “Through the thoughtful generosity of Morning Pointe, we are preparing future health care providers to give the finest care to their patients – just as the residents of Morning Pointe enjoy the outstanding care they receive in their living communities.”
“Morning Pointe Senior Living has been very involved in Athens and McMinn County for more than 25 years,” said Greg A. Vital, co-founder and president of Morning Pointe Senior Living. “Through the Foundation, it is our privilege to assist in bringing new and passionate caregivers into the field. As a company, Morning Pointe has always made a point to give back to the communities where we operate, and we are pleased to continue that philanthropic tradition in an even bigger way here in Athens.”
Tennessee Wesleyan joins a growing number of Morning Pointe Foundation partner schools in Tennessee, becoming the 12th in the state. It also makes the 18th total partnership for the non-profit. Other Tennessee partner schools are the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) – Athens, TCAT – Jacksboro, Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Chattanooga State Community College, Cleveland State Community College, Columbia State Community College, Roane State Community College in Harriman and Walters State Community College in Morristown.
Founded in 1997 by healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living owns and operates 38 senior living and Alzheimer’s memory care communities in five southeastern states. These include 23 communities in Tennessee.