Jeff Fraley, director of nursing education, and Warren Kessel, Ken Bransky, and Steve Vaughn, representatives from 40 & 8 Hardy County Voiture 1623, recently presented four $500 checks from their nursing scholarship to Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College nursing students.
The nursing student recipients were Michelle Adkins of Pendleton County, Jodee Crites of Grant County, Crystal Goodwater of Hampshire County, and Whitney Hall of Hardy County.
“I am honored and extremely thankful to have been awarded the 40 & 8 scholarship,” said Crites. “As a single mom of two little girls, this money will not only help me but also benefit my daughters while I work towards my nursing degree. I hope that they see that through hard work and dedication, they too will be able to make their dreams come true.”
“This scholarship has truly been helpful and has assisted me in being able to continue my education without having to work full-time hours throughout my studies,” said Adkins.
“Receiving this scholarship has helped me with everyday living expenses while attending school,” said Hall. “I am very grateful for the opportunity to receive the scholarship and can’t express the stress that it takes off of me while focusing on my nursing classes.”
Scholarship support is very important for students to make pursuing their education even more affordable, as well as make it easier for those who work while enrolled.
The 40 & 8 was founded in 1920 by American Veterans returning from France after World War I. In 1955, they began their support for nursing education. Voiture 1623 of the 40 & 8, based in Moorefield, has been a longtime advocate and supporter of Eastern’s nursing students with this scholarship.
“The 40 & 8 scholarship is much more than monetary support it is an encouragement,” said Goodwater. “It is wonderful to have help with the cost of school, however, knowing an organization such as 40 & 8 supports me as a veteran’s wife and a nurse in training means so much more.”
This is the third time these students have been awarded this scholarship. They were previously presented with checks in October of 2022 and February of 2023. In support of their nursing scholarship program, members of the 40 & 8 hold several fundraising events each year.
La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux (The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses) membership is by invitation, and open only to honorably discharged veterans and honorably serving members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The society was created in 1920 in the wake of World War I, and the name comes from the French railway boxcars that carried most of the soldiers to the front lines. The boxcars featured a sign indicating the boxcar’s capacity: 40 men/8 horses. The national organization’s mission to support nursing education began in 1955.
