Marianjoy Scholarship Program Awards Nearly $600,000 in Scholarships to Date

WHEATON, Ill., June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This year, $50,000 in scholarships for post-high school education was awarded to 22 students from the greater Chicagoland area by the Marianjoy Scholarship Program, now in its seventeenth year. The students, some of which are former Marianjoy patients, are attending colleges and universities all across the country including the University of Illinois, University of Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State University, DePaul University, Southern Illinois University, Arizona State University, Western Illinois University, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Loyola University, among others.

For nearly 40 years, Marianjoy has remained an advocate for individuals living with a disability. Though pursuing a college degree is not easy for anyone, doing so while living with a physical disability requires an even greater degree of determination, stamina and focus which is why the Marianjoy Scholarship Fund was established. This year's recipients include young men and women studying dentistry, information systems, architecture, medicine, broadcasting, and teaching.

The Marianjoy Scholarship Program combines the Bruce A. Schurman Endowment Fund (named after the former president and CEO of Marianjoy) and the Marianjoy General Scholarship Fund. Marianjoy plans to grow the endowment from the current level of $75,000 to $250,000 over the coming years. The interest earnings on those funds will be used to provide future annual scholarships in perpetuity.

"Funding for all scholarship awards is provided through generous donations from individuals, families, corporations, the Marianjoy Auxiliary, and other organizations," explains Will Gillett, Chairman of the Marianjoy Stewardship Committee. "Our goal is to provide as many scholarships as possible each year to well-qualified students."

Recipients of scholarships this year include:

• Natalie Chastain of Elgin
• Thomas Eurich of Mt. Prospect
• Steve Fako of Orland Park
• Danielle Felde of Marengo
• Katie Huffman of Tinley Park
• Adam Jomant of Lockport
• Jennifer Piasecki of Lockport
• Cassandra Powers of Glen Ellyn
• Lucia Ramirez of Franklin Park
• Harper Rowland of Wheaton
• Maria Senne of West Chicago
• Elizabeth Lindstrom of Aurora
• Chelsea Mertz of Geneva
• Carrie Mulderink of Countryside
• Justin Salerno of Aurora
• Guadalupe Solorio of Hazelcrest
• Gina Trotto of Wood Dale
• Stephanie Yarr of Naperville
• Maria-Isabel Orozco-Vela of Chicago
• Molly Farrell of Wheaton
• Katie McElheney of Wheaton
• Hannah Thompson of Glenview

Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital is a nonprofit teaching hospital in Wheaton, Illinois, dedicated to the delivery of physical medicine and rehabilitation programs including stroke, neuromuscular, orthopedic, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and pediatrics. Marianjoy's $60 million, 120 private room replacement hospital is a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the naturally holistic approach to rehabilitation. Founded in 1972, Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital maintains an extensive network of inpatient, subacute, and outpatient sites and physician clinics throughout the Chicago area. Marianjoy is a member of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.

SOURCE Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital