Many of the Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award nominations that we receive are emotional and inspirational. Some are gut wrenching. And while they may not have been hand-selected by the judges to become recipients of a Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award, so many deserve recognition.
Healthcare Professionals We Love will feature Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award nominations from this year and from the archives. We also will be adding a place where you can post comments about the nominations and read what others have to say.
Those who are featured in the nominations that appear here will receive from us the Cherokee Uniforms scrub top and pant of their choice. Nominations may be lightly edited to preserve privacy and increase readability.
Check back often ... as we'll be adding to these.
Professional: |
Mary McBean |
Job Title: |
RN – Medical Surgical Department |
Employer: |
St. Bernardine Medical Center, San Bernardino, Calif. |
Nominated by: |
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Posted: |
February 2, 2007 |
Mary McBean is an excellent community advocate for NO students left behind. Having worked as a nurse educator for years and seeing a large percentage of students fail or drop out of school, Mary started a vocational training center in her community. She established the UNI-MACK Vocational Training Center, a non-licensed certificate program for unskilled, uneducated, untrained young adults. With no government funding she financed it herself. She walked the neighborhoods in rain, cold and heat knocking on doors telling anyone who would listen about the value of education and how it could change their lives.
Having started her career as a hospital janitor, she can truly relate to feelings of despair. Her office door is an open door, and she takes the time to help anyone. She is in constant communication with past, present and potential students who seek her advice and mentoring. Recently, she won the 2002 Women in Focus Woman of Community Service Advocacy 3rd Annual Award.
2007 Update from Cherokee
Still a nurse at St. Bernardine Medical Center, Mary continues to offer hope to young adults who desperately need encouragement and direction. Through her vocational training center, hope comes via opportunity – where students can complete certificate programs to fill a wide range of healthcare jobs that include EKG technician, medical and unit secretary and a limited phlebotomy technician. "These young people look around and all they see are gangs, people playing dominoes and cards, and broken beer and whiskey bottles. I live to give them hope and the confidence to move out of that environment and succeed," Mary said.
For more, visit www.uni-mack.org.