Degen Foundation awards more than $675,000 in grants, scholarships

The Fort Smith-based Degen Foundation in July awarded $622,836 in grants to four regional nonprofit organizations, including a significant grant to the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) for student debt forgiveness.

A $602,836 grant to ACHE supports debt forgiveness and assists in the establishment of the residency program at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith.

Degen has given more than $3.3 million dollars to ACHE to fund AED defibrillators, build out of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine Research Suite, class gifts for each cohort of students, research equipment for the Research Institute, helping to establish the ACHE scholarship endowment, and other items and programs.

Following were other grants awarded in July.
• The Fort Smith Boys Home was awarded an $8,000 grant to help establish The Degen Foundation Medical Suite for the Fort Smith Boy’s Home Addition Two. The home is a Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) that provides trauma-informed behavioral health and case management services to children in foster care in a family-like setting.

• Girl Scouts Diamonds of Arkansas received a $4,000 grant to help establish a Safety and Health Education Access for their Fort Smith location at Burnham Woods. The funds will provide six stocked metal first aid cabinets, an AED unit, and assist with adult and pediatric First Aid use certificates.

• Methodist Village Senior Living was awarded an $8,000 grant to add a lift upfit for their new transport van that was recently purchased to transport residents to and from doctors’ appointments and other life enrichment activities.

Degen also provided $53,000 in scholarships to 20 college students from the Fort Smith area who are pursuing degrees in healthcare. Following is the list of students receiving scholarships.
Sarah Tolbert of Fort Smith
Madison Combs of Pocola
Perri Efurd of Fort Smith
Jania Flake of Fort Smith
Ryan Hewett of Van Buren
Catherine Owen of Fort Smith
Kobe Panis of Greenwood
Mikelle Porter of Van Buren
Ashlyn Roffine of Fort Smith
Miranda Smith of Barling
Mikella Arbaugh of Fort Smith
Ella Austin of Lavaca
Shania Balagtas of Barling
Ashlynn Flute of Muldrow
Olivia Jones of Arkoma
Anna Lee of Van Buren
Martin Nunez, Jr of Alma
Avery Phillips of Fort Smith
Olivia Ramsey of Fort Smith
Gracie Weidman of Fort Smith

The Degen Foundation provides healthcare funds, both through grants and special services, to promote health and education with the primary emphasis in assisting the needs of the uninsured and underserved population in a seven-county area.