John William Jackson Fund Nursing Scholarships
The John William Jackson Fund (JWJF) in the Idaho Community Foundation is a statewide scholarship program that benefits Idaho's youth and future nurses. This Fund supplies scrap metal collection containers to partnering businesses. The materials are then recycled and the money is donated to the scholarship fund. People who donate their scrap metal to Pacific Steel and Recycling can also ask for their metal funds to go towards the Fund. The JWJF is a volunteer-driven organization, with no paid employees.
This Fund was started by Jackie and Bill “Action” Jackson after the death of his son John William Jackson. John died in a rock climbing accident in Central Asia. According to the organization’s website, “At the time of his death he was conducting graduate research at the University of Montana. This Fund was established in 2000, to capture the enthusiasm, passion, contemplation, and enterprise that John exhibited in his life and individual pursuits.”
The scholarships awarded by the JWJF are provided as one-time only funds, and the amount of scholarships varies from year to year. Currently these scholarships are going to nursing students in the accelerated program located at ISU-Meridian. In the future, as the accelerated program expands to different parts of the state, the foundation’s leaders hope to expand with it and benefit those students as well. The Meridian campus is undergoing an expansion and Anderson Construction is setting aside all of their scrap metal to be donated back to the JWJF. The accelerated program is a one-year, fall-to-summer fast track program for nursing students to get their bachelor's degree more quickly than the traditional nursing program at ISU. The program evolved to meet workforce needs with a shift in recent years towards all nursing professionals obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
ISU-Meridian accelerated nursing student Trisha Wineman is a recipient of the 2019 JWJF spring semester scholarship. She stated, “Having the monetary support, and the emotional encouragement of being chosen for this award, I feel more able to do the required work, spend valuable time with my family during this endeavor, and empowered to move forward with my new career. I am so grateful for this entrusted gift.”
Another recipient of the scholarship and accelerated nursing student, Jennifer Kuklok, says, “The John William Jackson Fund affected my education greatly, in that it enabled me to continue on with the nursing program unaffected by the inability to work during this fast-paced, twelve-month, accelerated program and obtain my RN, BSN nursing degree. Without the scholarship, I may not have been able to stay in the program and obtain my degree, due to financial hardship.”
“Action" Jackson, says “The decision to award health science scholarship grants was a decision I made in response to the loss of many of our dear friends or family members due to a variety of life ending health issues. It allowed us to grant nursing first followed by health science scholarships, and have scholarships in their memory. We are currently awarding nursing and health science scholarships (totaling $48,500) to seven schools in Idaho, Oregon and Washington including Idaho State University ($7000 for nursing).”
The John William Jackson Fund also provides grants to performing art programs, youth organizations, and to schools, to help purchase or rent instruments for their students.
The John William Jackson Fund is an amazing program that is doing great things for the community and future nurses. For more information about the JWJF click this link - https://johnwilliamjacksonfund.org/
Written by: Lindsay Taylor, College of Nursing Career Path Intern
