A scholarship from a local auto parts franchise will give a boost to Fresno Pacific University nursing students.
Advance Auto Parts on Kings Canyon in Fresno has donated $1,000 to start an annual scholarship aimed at nursing students. The gift came about when Richard Martinez, store general manager, approached Katherine Herms, FPU assistant director of donor engagement, at a Fresno Chamber of Commerce “Coffee and Commerce” event and asked how his store could help the university. “I was genuinely astonished,” Herms said.
Contributing to the places where they are located is important to Advance Auto Parts. “Making a difference in communities, and the people we serve as neighbors and friends, is what it’s all about,” according to a statement from the company. “We may sell auto parts, but we serve people first.”
FPU has three nursing programs, including a new major for traditional undergraduate students new to the profession that builds on a bachelor’s program for registered nurses and a Master of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner emphasis. More on all nursing programs at Nursing Programs at Fresno Pacific University | Fresno Pacific University.
The Advance Auto Parts Annual Scholarship is the newest of several scholarships sponsored by local businesses: Noble Credit Union, The Fresno County Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Wiebe Hinton Hambalek LLP, and the Society of Financial Service Professionals. In addition, area alumni sponsor scholarships, including Pam Yang, and Maribel Ramirez-Hinojosa and Felipe Hinojosa for the marriage and family therapy program, and the Davies-Balch Hope Annual Scholarship for African American Students by Shantay Davies-Balch.
PHOTO: Martinez presents the check to Herms January 5 at the university’s monthly Ambassador Luncheon.