Gardner-Webb University, Cleveland Community College and Cleveland County Schools Receive Over $1.2 Million from the Golden LEAF Foundation

Funding Creates Healthcare Education Pathway to Address Regional Health Workforce Shortages

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The Golden LEAF Foundation announced Feb. 6 that Gardner-Webb University and community partners, Cleveland Community College (CCC) and Cleveland County Schools, have been awarded funding through the Community-Based Grants Initiative totaling over $1.2 million to create a Healthcare Educational Pathway. Leaders from all three entities collaborated to present separate proposals to form a program that addresses regional health workforce shortages, particularly in nursing and allied health professions.

“Gardner-Webb University is grateful for this major new investment from Golden LEAF, and we are delighted by the success of our partnership with Cleveland Community College and Cleveland County Schools,” shared GWU President Dr. William M. Downs. “Our College of Health Sciences and the Office of Advancement did outstanding work to craft a vision for serving educational and community needs in the field of healthcare, and I’m confident the benefits will be substantial and enduring.”

Gardner-Webb’s project focuses on the University’s pivotal role in advancing the partnership and supporting regional healthcare workforce development. From seventh- through 10th-grade, the Healthcare Educational Pathway will introduce and expose students to healthcare career options. Rising 11th- and 12th-graders will be invited to Gardner-Webb University to participate in a Summer Bridge Program, where they will experience immersion into healthcare fields through interactive activities, such as lab work, simulations, networking, and shadowing healthcare professionals.

Additionally, the students will receive third party credentialing in CPR and other certifications, making them more prepared to advance in their education and careers. This support will provide students across all stages of the healthcare pathway with increased opportunities for education and certification—ultimately increasing their employability and level of certification. The aim is to help high school students, community college graduates, and current or prospective GWU students.

As a secondary benefit, the new equipment will be in place and prepared to provide additional support for Gardner-Webb nursing and College of Health Sciences students during the academic year. This equipment will enhance the lab experience and provide more efficient/effective training of future healthcare providers. This funding also reinforces Gardner-Webb’s existing community college transfer agreements.

The awards for each institution follow:

• Gardner-Webb—$290,408.52 for equipment, supplies, and personnel costs to implement a Summer Bridge Program for high school students and to enhance the hands-on experiences of its nursing students to address a workforce shortage in Cleveland County.

• Cleveland County Schools—$360,590.58 for personnel, renovations, equipment, supplies, furniture, and transportation to expand Cleveland County School’s healthcare education pathway participation specifically to at-risk students at CCS’s alternative school, Turning Point Academy, to address a workforce shortage in Cleveland County.

• Cleveland Community College—$622,662.98 for equipment, supplies, and personnel to establish a Health Science Academy at Cleveland Community College, which will include health science training programs in nursing, medical assisting, medical sonography, radiography, and surgical technology, to address a workforce shortage in Cleveland County.

The awards to Cleveland County were part of $10.5 million in funding approved by the Golden LEAF Board of Directors to support job creation and economic investment, workforce preparedness, and agriculture projects.

Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton added, “Through the Community-Based Grants Initiative, Golden LEAF works directly in one prosperity zone annually to identify projects with the greatest potential to have a significant impact. This competitive process focuses on projects that invest in the building blocks of economic growth with the ultimate goal of moving the economic needle in a community. This regional workforce development partnership will help provide a pipeline of skilled healthcare workers for Cleveland County employers for years to come.”

About The Golden LEAF Foundation

Golden LEAF was created to receive 50 percent of the annual payments made by cigarette manufacturers to North Carolina under the historic 1999 Master Settlement Agreement that included 46 states. LEAF stands for Long-Term Economic Advancement Foundation. The endowment has funded hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and scholarships to support its mission to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities. Read more here.

About Gardner-Webb University

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.