John and Rachel, and past scholarship recipient Thomas Isaacs.
Donors Making a Difference at CCN:
The Woodard Family
We at the Capstone College of Nursing are proud to work with generous donors to create new opportunities for our College. Currently, we are in the midst of The Rising Tide Capital Campaign, a University-wide effort to raise a minimum of $1.5 billion in philanthropic support for strategic priorities over a 10-year period. As we continue toward our goals during the Campaign, we are honored to highlight some of our donors’ stories.
Dr. James Woodard, a 1978 graduate of the Capstone College of Nursing, has been an active member of CCN’s Board of Visitors since 2011. Over the course of those 12 years, Dr. Woodard has been an advocate for the College, and has generously given of his time and talents. Because of his involvement, he has gotten to know the ins and outs of the College, including the needs of its outstanding students.
“I would like for the students to know that there are people who believe in what they are doing and that many of those people want to help,” said Dr. Woodard.
“CCN is a top nursing program and produces the best nurses that I’ve ever worked with. Giving to a scholarship is just one way to help your neighbor.”
Below, we asked Dr. Woodard to share a bit about what inspired he and his family to create The Woodard Family Endowed Nursing Scholarship.
Tell us a little bit about your scholarship and what motivated/inspired you to create it.
I graduated in the first class of the Capstone College of Nursing in May of 1978, and my son Alex graduated from CCN with a BSN in December of 2011. We often say we are the first father-son graduates of CCN. Our family scholarship was created to increase diversity among students pursuing a BS degree in nursing, and are proud to see strides the College is making in this regard.
You approached the College about this scholarship after attending the Scholarship Luncheon. What do you find meaningful about that particular event?
When I heard some of the stories of those students and the financial and personal challenges they faced, I left the luncheon determined to help in some way. After hearing about their struggles and hardships, I realized how blessed I’ve been and I wanted to help them reach their goals.
Your philanthropy has been contagious, leading family members and friends to also give. What does it mean to you to know others are following your example?
My family has been very involved with and supportive of this venture. One of my sons and his wife decided to add to the family scholarship a couple of years ago by giving a portion of their annual bonus to the family scholarship. That has allowed us to increase our level of assistance for the students.
There’s a philanthropic foundation in our town which helps people in our county who need assistance buying medication and medical equipment. It is also the largest contributor to the local Meals on Wheels program. The foundation was started in the early 1940s by a local businessman who left money to be used to help our local citizens, and it helps so many people every year. The man who created this foundation died more than 80 years ago, but what’s amazing is that he’s still helping others. Being a trustee for this foundation has had a tremendous influence on me and has challenged me to strive to be a free and cheerful giver.
For more information or to make a gift, contact CCN Senior Associate Director of Development, Anita Hamlett, at ahamlett@ua.edu or 205-348-9876.
To learn more about The Rising Tide Capital Campaign, visit risingtide.ua.edu.
Read other CCN donor stories here: The Woodard Family │Ed and Cathy Rudisill │Cathy Watson │Richard and Donna Urrutia