Community September 17, 2009
Hospital awards first MLK scholarships
Starting in the early ‘90s, Yale-New Haven Hospital honored the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., slain civil rights leader, with a special program that recognized his birthday each January.
This year, the MLK Committee recommended that the hospital change its focus from an internal celebration of employees who are committed to the values of Dr. King and, instead, invest in students who are setting an example in the community.
This summer, YNHH awarded the first three $1,000 MLK Community Service Awards to students who have logged 20 or more hours of uncompensated community service. To be considered, the students also had to describe how their experiences helped them appreciate the differences in others. Two of the scholarship recipients were students at Wilbur Cross High School and the third attends Career High School.
"At first, it was hard to think differently about how we celebrated Dr. King’s life," said Pat Worthy, RN, manager, Workforce Diversity, and co- chair of the MLK Committee.
"However, I think employees will be very happy and proud that we have turned our MLK focus from the hospital to the community where we live and work and where so many of our employees and patients come from," said Worthy. "A scholarship like ours that celebrates community service can really make a positive difference in a young person’s life — and ultimately in our community."
The hospital has also earmarked funds for grants for New Haven elementary schools. Grant applications will be emailed to all public school principals in October and winners will be announced at the end of November. The grants will support educational programs and activities that build on Dr. King’s philosophy and goal of inclusion, teach the value of diversity and tolerance and bring people of different backgrounds together. "We like to think that this is exactly how Dr. King would want the hospital to recognize his birthday — finding and celebrating the next generation of community leaders," Worthy said.
