2009 Annual Report
Text Box: South Carolina Nurses Foundation, Inc. Annual Report October 2008 through September 2009 On behalf of the Board of trustees of the South Carolina Nurses Foundation, Inc., I am pleased to present this report. Number of Members: 15 Number of Meetings: 4 Average Attendance at Meetings: 11 Board of Trustees: 2009 Officers: Karen M. Brown, RN, President; Marilyn Brady, RN Vice-President; Karen Thompson, RN, Secretary; Eleanor Rogers, Treasurer 2009 Committee Chairs: Ann Alexander, RN, Scholarship and Awards, Marilyn Brady, RN, Marketing and Development; Carl Humphries, Finance; Cheryl Bullard, Bylaws, and Policy and Procedure, Carl Humphries and Priscilla Carver-Davis, RN, Co-Chairs of Nurses Care Walk, Renatta Loquist, RN, Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC Scholarships Awards, Pi Johnson, RN, Treasurer Designee; Karen M. Brown, RN and Cheryl Bullard, Representatives to the Palmetto Gold Steering Committee. Additional Members: Stanley Harris, RN; Veronica Parker; Kathryn Gramlin, RN; Ann Lee, RN; Marilyn Barnes, RN, SCNA Representative; Vicki Green, RN, SCNA President. Meetings of the Board of Trustees: The Board of Trustees met the second Friday in November, February, May and August. Future meetings are scheduled for November 2009 and January 2010 on the second Friday of the month. Summary of Fiscal Information: Total Net Assets, Liabilities and Net Assets-Cash Basis as of September 30, 2008 $631,829.58 Total Net Assets, Liabilities and Net Assets-Cash Basis as of January 1, 2009 $621,420.73 Total Revenues, Gains and Other Support as of June 30, 2009 $605,649.90 Expenditures as of June 30, 2009 $331,348.40 Net Assets as of June 30, 2009 $895,722.23 SCNF 2009 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS  The Evelyn J. Entrekin Scholarship and the Appalachia Chapter Scholarship were not awarded this year due to the markets. Healthy Communities Grants also were not awarded in 2009 due to insufficient funds. Virginia C. Phillips Scholarships ($1000 each) will be awarded to one undergraduate and one graduate student and will be determined by the Public Health nursing community. Palmetto Gold Scholarships ($1000 each) were awarded in January to the following students:  Blue Cross Blue Shield of SC Faculty Fellows: Stipends were awarded during the school year of 2008-2009 to assist doctoral and masters students striving to be nurse educators. BlueCross BlueShield of SC Nurse Faculty Awardees 2008-2009  The Mary Ellen Hatfield School Nurses Scholarship will be awarded in January 2010. The 2008 recipients of $500 each were: Kimberly L. McPherson of Columbia and Amoretta Dogan of Fountain Inn. Total Awards for October 2008-July 2009 ……………$516,000.00 Committee Activities: Scholarship and Awards Committee The Scholarship committee is reviewing the process and amounts to be given during the coming year with the change of assets due to the market this past year. Scholarship application forms are now on the website and updated. (www.scnursesfoundation.org) Marketing & Development Committee The ongoing activities of the Marketing & Development Committee include an annual campaign, quarterly articles in SC Nurse, the Nurses Care license plate initiative, the website and other fundraising initiatives. The annual campaign, “HOPE, Helping Others Pursue Education: Plant hope today to grow the nurses of tomorrow” was launched in January 2009 and will run until the end of 2009. Information about the annual campaign is published quarterly, as well as on the web. The quarterly articles in SC Nurse summarize the activities of the Foundation, and include information about Palmetto Gold activities and recognition of scholarship recipients and donors. To increase awareness of the license plate initiative, individuals with Nurses Care license plates have been encouraged to enter their license plate number for a drawing. Winners of this drawing receive a $100 savings bond and are announced in the newsletter. The website continues to be monitored on a regular basis. The sale of Pins by Lucinda has been successful and will continue at state-wide events. The Committee is planning the first state-wide Nurses Walk to be held on November 7, 2009 in Columbia. The funds raised through the walk will support the mission of the SCNF. For more information, visit www.scnursesfoundation.org or contact Priscilla Davis at priscillad@usca.edu. After some diligent work of the committee and a community volunteer, Nancy Cooper, SCNF has also adopted a new logo for correspondence and advertising. This logo will be utilized for SCNF business. The Palmetto Gold logo remains the same. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Nurse Faculty Development Grant In May 2008, the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation granted $1.5 million over three years to establish graduate-level nursing scholarships through the South Carolina Nurses Foundation, Inc. The grant has provided financial support through stipends to student nurses enrolled in PhD, DNP, and MSN programs in SC who agree to become faculty in SC state-approved nursing education programs. The grant is administered in cooperation with the three graduate nursing programs – Clemson University School of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing, and University of South Carolina College of Nursing – who serve on an Advisory committee along with representatives of other nursing education programs. Sixteen students were selected to receive the stipends. Three students graduated this year and will be employed as faculty in RN programs in the state. The grant is a significant step to ameliorate the nursing shortage by preparing qualified faculty for nursing programs to maintain or increase enrollment. Renatta Loquist is Project Director for the grant. For information on eligibility for the stipends, one may contact their school of nursing or Renatta Loquist at rloquist@earthlink.net.   South Carolina Department of Commerce Awards SCNF $1.8 million The SC Department of Commerce has awarded the SCNF a grant of $1.8 million over a three year period to impact the nurse faculty shortages in our state. The funds are part of the Workforce Investment Act funds distributed by the federal government. The terms and guidelines for the stipends are being developed and will be similar to those of the BCBSSC stipends. Funding will be available for the Fall 2009 term. Each of the three graduate nursing programs will receive equal shares of the funds to award student stipends. PhD, DNP, and MSN students are eligible for the stipends that can be applied for through the Dean’s office in each college. The Foundation is excited about this public/private partnership and looks forward to working with the SC Department of Commerce on this endeavor. Finance Committee The Finance Committee continues to monitor the Foundation’s Investment Portfolio with Morgan Stanley. A Conservative Index has been utilized to maximize our investments this past year due to market uncertainty. The Board approved Administrative fee of 1.5% annually continues for 2009 and will be utilized as operating capital. This fee is based on the closing balance as of December 31 in each of the investment accounts. The Director’s and Officer’s Liability Policy was renewed this year and an Employee’s Dishonesty Policy or Crime Policy also renewed. The Foundation has also utilized discretion in the purchase of short term CD’s at appropriate times to increase interest during market uncertainty. McGregor and Company, LLP continues to manage the accounting aspects of the Foundation. The 990 for 2009 and Secretary of State Registration were submitted. Palmetto Gold Steering Committee The Palmetto Gold Nurse Recognition and Scholarship Program celebrated its eighth anniversary on April 25, 2009 with the Palmetto Gold Gala at Seawell’s Convention Center in Columbia, SC. Over 800 nurses have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to excellence in nursing in South Carolina. Nursing scholarships of $1000 each have been awarded to more than 175 nursing students over the past eight years as well. In 2009 twenty-two undergraduate nursing scholarships and one graduate scholarship were awarded. The 2010 Gala will be held at Seawell’s Convention Center in April. The trademark for Palmetto Gold, which is utilized in advertising and correspondence, was renewed October 2008 and will be due again in 2013. Bylaws Committee Current bylaws were reviewed. No changes were made. Policy and Procedure Committee An outline has been created to begin a formal policy and procedure manual for the future administrative workings of SCNF. This will be a continuing process for 2009-2010. Other activities of the Board of Trustees The Foundation Board has continued its membership in SCANPO. The South Carolina Nurses Foundation now also has an email address. (info@scnursesfoundation.org ) We are also utilizing Conference America to hold conference calls for meetings of committees for members around the state in order to decrease travel for the Board. Respectfully submitted, Karen M. Brown