The Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital (SYVCH) Auxiliary awarded five $3,000 scholarships to local students. Scholarships are given each year to Santa Ynez Valley students who are entering or currently in health-related careers and have a letter of acceptance to an accredited college or university.
Scholarships are made possible from three sources: the SYVCH Auxiliary fundraising efforts at the New To You Shop; and the Ann Bertero Scholarship Fund and the Jean Pack Scholarship Fund administered by the SYVCH Foundation.
» SYVCH Auxiliary scholarship recipients are:
Olivia Baeke, a 2020 graduate of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School, who is pursuing a career as a trauma surgeon. She plans to attend Santa Barbara City College to major in psychology, and then transfer to Kansas University to study biology.
Adrienne Urban, who is currently in the radiography program at SBCC with an anticipated graduation date of spring 2021. After graduation, she plans to start working at a hospital or clinic on the Central Coast as a radiologic technologist.
» Ann Bertero Scholarship Fund recipients:
Maddie Alton, a sophomore at Smith College in Western Massachusetts, is majoring in neuroscience and natural sciences to prepare for medical school requirements. She plans to pursue a career in obstetrics and gynecology.
Marina Vengel, a 2020 SYVUHS graduate, is attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo majoring in child development. Her goal is to become a child life specialist to support the youngest patients in hospitals.
» Jean Pack Scholarship Fund recipient:
Kiely West, a 2020 graduate of SYVUHS, is attending SBCC. She will transfer to UC Davis or Cal Poly to major in kinesiology with the goal of becoming a physician’s assistant and returning to the Santa Ynez Valley to give back to the community.
Scholarship recipients were selected by the SYVCH auxiliary scholarship committee, which is co-chaired by Martha Nedegaard and Jacky Green, along with members Barbara Breza, Brenda Loskamp, Susan Snekvik, Judine Victor and April Vossler.
The Ann Bertero Scholarship Fund was established in 2018 through the SYVCH Foundation by Bertero’s daughter Lisa Bertero Palmer and son-in-law Steve Palmer, with support from their family.
Ann Bertero was an auxiliary volunteer for more than a decade, and a life-long hospital volunteer in every community she lived. She helped inaugurate and integrate auxiliary volunteers into SYVCH’s emergency department in 2006, and she created a hospital youth volunteer program. She received the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation Health & Human Services Volunteer of the Year award in 2012.
The Jean Pack Scholarship Fund was established in 2019 through the SYVCH Foundation. Bob Pack, husband of the late Jean Pack, created the fund to honor Jean’s work as a volunteer at the hospital for more than two decades, including chairing the scholarship committee for six years and supporting fundraising activities.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of this hospital. They provide thousands of hours of invaluable volunteer service each year and operate the New to You shop to raise funds for two of these scholarships,” said Wende Cappetta, vice president of SYVCH.
“The hospital and community are so much stronger because of our volunteers,” she said. “We thank them for their dedication and generosity.”
New SYVCH volunteers are always welcome. For more information about volunteering, visit www.cottagehealth.org/santa-ynez-valley-cottage-hospital/volunteer or contact Volunteer Services, 805-569-7357 or volunteering@sbch.org.
The Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation (SYVCHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978 whose mission is to develop, manage and channel the community’s financial support on behalf of Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.
For more about Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital and Cottage Heath, visit www.cottagehealth.org/syvch.