L-R: Larry Devlin, Commander Ohio Sad
Sacks; Chantele Hazen; Amanda
Williams; Bethany Watkins; Christina Fry;
Kami Weikel; Amber Cootz; Hank
Sebach, Commander Mount Vernon
Sad Sacks; and Elaine Benedict, MVNU
Instructor of Nursing/Clinical Skills Lab
Manager. Not pictured, Natalie Reddick.

Mount Vernon Unit 0195 awards scholarships

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio-The local Sad Sacks unit of the AmVets Post #95 recently awarded seven $500 scholarships to area nursing students. Presenting the awards to the students were Hank Sebach, commander of the Mount Vernon Sad Sacks Unit #0195, and Larry Devlin, commander of the Ohio Sad Sacks.

Recipients included six Mount Vernon Nazarene University students: Bethany Watkins, from Mount Vernon, Ohio; Amber Coots, from Pleasantville, Ohio; Amanda Williams, from West Mansfield, Ohio; Chantele Hazen, from Danville, Ohio; Kristina Fry, from Mount Vernon, Ohio; and Kami Weikel, from Fredericktown, Ohio. Natalie Reddick, a Central Ohio Technical College-Newark student from Mount Vernon, was also a recipient.

The students were invited to attend the Sad Sacks' pork chop and chicken dinner on Saturday, April 19, and the Officer's Installation Dinner in June.

"I am so grateful to the members of Sad Sacks for their generous support of local nursing students," said Dr. Teresa Wood, dean for MVNU's School of Nursing and Health Sciences. "It is their belief in the power of nurses to improve lives that drives their organization's existence. They cannot know the thousands of lives they touch by investing in nursing education."

The national Sad Sacks, who derive their name from a famous World War II cartoon, were founded in 1946 after the war by two GIs. The local unit was chartered by 18 AmVets in 2001. Considered the fun and honor group of the AmVets, it exists for the sole purpose of supporting student nurses in their educational pursuits. The unit has provided annual scholarships of $500 to 11 students during the past 6 years. To date, the local Sacks helped four nurses complete their college-level RN programs. Scholarship funds are raised by the unit hosting dinners, breakfasts, raffles and other special events.

For more information about AmVets or Sad Sacks, please contact (740) 397-2119 or visit www.knoxcountyveterans.com. For information about MVNU's nursing program, call (740) 397-9000, ext. 3260, or visit www.mvnu.edu.