New Jersey student receives $10,000 college scholarship from state foundation

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mackenzie Kurnath, 2013 graduate of West Morris Mendham High School in Mendham, N.J., received a $10,000 scholarship to go toward college tuition for the 2013-2014 school year at the first annual Kids' Chance of New Jersey Gala, held July 18, 2013, at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, N.J.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130807/LA59978)

An active student at West Morris Mendham High School, Kurnath participated in volleyball, lacrosse, basketball and track. She will attend the University of Delaware in the fall, where she plans to major in fashion marketing with the goal of pursuing a public relations career in the fashion industry.

Kids' Chance of New Jersey is a nonprofit organization cofounded in 2012 by Charles A. Gatto, M.D., director of The Tri-County Spine Center at Tri-County Orthopedics and Chief of the Spine Section for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Morristown Medical Center of the Atlantic Health System. The $10,000 higher education scholarship is one of many that Kids' Chance of New Jersey awards throughout the year to the sons and daughters of New Jersey workers who have been fatally or catastrophically injured in a work-related accident, resulting in financial need. More than 4 million workplace injuries occur in the United States each year, with approximately 1 million of those resulting in disabling injuries and 5,000 resulting in death.

"Through Kids' Chance of New Jersey, we are able to eliminate financial obstacles for these very deserving students who are trying to achieve their educational dreams," Dr. Gatto says.

Funds raised at the Kids' Chance of New Jersey Gala will contribute to future scholarships.

For more information about Kids' Chance of New Jersey, please visit http://www.kidschancenj.org/.

For more than 20 years, Tri-County Orthopedics and its 16 highly trained orthopedic specialists have been committed to providing excellent treatment and care for virtually every bone, joint and muscle in the body to area residents. Through the practice's five centers of excellence at five locations in Morristown, Sparta, Bedminster and Cedar Knolls, Tri-County Orthopedics offers care for the spine (back and neck), shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist, hip, knee, foot and ankle, sports medicine, joint replacements and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Tri-County Orthopedics' physicians proudly serve as the official orthopedic providers for Drew University, Delbarton School, Roxbury High School, Morristown-Beard School and Morris Hills High School. For more information regarding Tri-County Orthopedics and its specialists, visit www.Tri-CountyOrtho.com.

SOURCE Tri-County Orthopedics