JOHNSON CITY, Tenn., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Kenny recently awarded ASPIRE scholarships to two outstanding students to help fund their work in the Appalachia regions this past Thursday, March 18.

Big Kenny presented his inaugural ASPIRE scholarship to Jodi Southerland and Jenny Hunt on the belief that by helping these two students continue their missions they will, in turn, help countless other individuals throughout their careers.

Southerland is a Doctor of Public Health student in the Community Health Track at Eastern Tennessee State University. She is from Greene County in the Appalachia region of east Tennessee. She plans to carry out her ASPIRE Appalachia work with Of One Accord, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides social welfare and medical services to the residents of Hawkins and Hancock County in the Appalachia regions. Her focus is on the health challenges facing the rural elderly.

Hunt is a Master of Public Health Student in the Health Service Administration track and is from Cocke County in the Appalachia region of east Tennessee. She will carry out her ASPIRE Appalachia work with some aspect of prescription drug abuse, a significant public health problem in the coalfield areas of central Appalachia.

Big Kenny made a generous donation, through the Hope Through Healing Hands Foundation (HTHH), to the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). This donation supported the creation of the "The Alphin Scholarship to Promote the Integration of Research and Environmental Education in Appalachia" (ASPIRE Appalachia). ASPIRE Appalachia's primary goal is to provide two students at the College of Public Health the opportunity to complete their required field placement by working in an Appalachian community. The students will focus their field placement on issues such as clean water; the impact of environmental factors on human health; storytelling or music as a vehicle for communicating health messages; understanding the social determinants that impact health in Appalachia; understanding the inter-relationship of education and health in Appalachia; understanding the role of charitable programs on health outcomes; or other Appalachia-specific health or environmental topics. The purpose of these placements is to be consistent with Big Kenny's and HTHH's shared altruistic vision of supporting people in the context of who they are and where they live.

    
    
    For more information, please contact: 
    
    Jenna Menking 
    jenna@macpublicity.com 
    
    Kellie Robinson
    kellie@weg-mail.com

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SOURCE Big Kenny

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