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Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation recently awarded $19,000 in scholarships to 12 area students who are pursuing health care careers.

Sarah Cawby of Kansas City, Missouri, was selected to receive the Alma Brown Scholarship. Cawby is a graduate of Drexel High School and has worked as an emergency department technician at Cass Regional Medical Center since 2016. She also works as a paramedic with American Medical Response, and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Cawby received a $1,000 scholarship, which was made possible by the generosity of Alma Brown, who passed away in 1998. Brown was a Cass County native who worked in the dietary department at a local nursing home prior to her retirement. In her will, she directed a donation to Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation to be used for “scholarships or other worthy projects,” and the foundation board established the scholarship program with her gift.

Lindsey Roulette, RN, of Harrisonville, Missouri, was selected to receive the Wanda Brown Scholarship. Roulette is the nurse manager of the Sage Senior Behavioral Health Unit at Cass Regional, and she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Capella University. She received a $1,000 scholarship, which was donated by the late Wanda Brown, who lived in Harrisonville for over 50 years and was very involved in civic affairs. Brown was a member of the Cass Regional Medical Center Auxiliary for more than 60 years, and a strong supporter of the nursing profession. She established her scholarship program with a gift to Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation in 1999.

Ryan Smith of Urich, Missouri, was awarded the Elvin S. Douglas, Jr., Scholarship. Smith will graduate in 2021 from Sherwood High School and plans to major in nursing. He received a $1,000 scholarship, which was made possible by the generosity of the friends and family of the late Elvin S. Douglas, Jr., a Harrisonville attorney who served on the Cass Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees for more than 25 years.

Prudence Billings of East Lynne, Missouri; Allison Lemka of Harrisonville, Missouri, Brooke Truman of Belton, Missouri; and Halie Wallander of Garden City, Missouri, were selected to receive the Dr. Harold E. Kirsch Memorial Scholarship. Billings is a 2019 graduate of Sherwood High School and plans to attend the practical nursing program at Cass Career Center. Lemka is a 2015 graduate of Harrisonville High School and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Research College of Nursing. Truman will graduate in 2021 from Belton High School and plans to study physical therapy. Wallander is a 2019 graduate of Sherwood High School and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Graceland University. Each recipient received a $1,675 scholarship, which was made possible by the generosity of Mrs. Evelyn Kirsch, who left a gift to Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation in her will. She directed that her donation be used to establish a scholarship program in memory of her husband, Dr. Harold E. Kirsch, who cared for generations of Cass Countians prior to his untimely death in 1977.

Michael Henderson, LPN, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Caitlin Lesmeister, RN, of Butler, Missouri; Camryn Pruitt of Archie, Missouri; and Hailee Ricker of Harrisonville, Missouri, were selected to receive the Franceline Parris Scholarship. Henderson works as a licensed practical nurse at Cass Regional and is pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing at Rasmussen University. Lesmeister works as a registered nurse at Cass Regional, and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Central Missouri. Pruitt works as an emergency department technician at Cass Regional and is enrolled in the registered nurse program at Crowder College. Ricker will graduate in 2021 from Harrisonville High School and plans to pursue a degree in athletic training. Each recipient received a $1,825 scholarship, which was made possible by the generosity of the late Franceline Parris, who was a member of the Cass Regional Auxiliary. Mrs. Parris named Cass Regional Foundation as a beneficiary of her trust, and the foundation board created the endowed scholarship fund with a portion of her gift.

Elizabeth Bostic of Harrisonville, Missouri, was selected to receive the Jan Perry Scholarship. Bostic will graduate in 2021 from Harrisonville High School and plans to major in nursing at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She received a $2,000 scholarship, which was made possible by the generosity of Jan and Wirt Perry. Jan Perry was a member of the Cass Regional Medical Center Auxiliary from 2000 until her passing in 2007. She established her scholarship in 2002, motivated by the gratitude she felt for the nurses who cared for her throughout her battle with cancer. Jan initially funded the scholarship by putting back a little of her grocery money each week until she had saved $1,000. After her death, her husband, Wirt, made a donation to expand Jan’s scholarship program to two annual scholarships.

Since its start in 1989, Cass Regional Medical Center Foundation has awarded 172 scholarships totaling nearly $190,000 to more than 100 students. The scholarship programs are made possible by donors to the Foundation. For more information, visit https://www.cassregional.org/foundation/scholarships/or call (816) 380-5888, extension 4810.