LACEY — An endowed scholarship to support undergraduate nursing students at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey has been created to honor the memory and service of the late Rose Crumb, who founded the Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County in Port Angeles.
The scholarship gives first preference to students from Clallam County and transfer students from Peninsula College in Port Angeles.
It was created by Saint Martin’s University alumnus Patrick Crumb (1985), along with his wife Karen, and eight siblings, school officials announced Thursday.
“We are grateful to the Crumb family for this inspirational gift that will support our nursing students for generations to come,” university President Jennifer Bonds-Raacke said in a press release.
“With the growing nursing shortage in the region, Saint Martin’s will continue to graduate bachelor-prepared nurses who will impact countless communities just like Rose did.”
Crumb, a registered nurse, founded Volunteer Hospice in 1978. She then served as the hospice’s unpaid volunteer executive director for more than 30 years, stepping down as the full-time executive director in 2009 at the age of 84.
Crumb died in December 2018 at the age of 93.
She received numerous national awards for her public service, including the Jefferson Award and the Lane W. Adams Award — the highest honor bestowed by the American Cancer Society for excellence in cancer care.
Crumb also received the Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis Award from the American Institute for Public Service.
Volunteer hospice continues to impact countless lives across the county through its volunteers and the care they provide for the terminally ill.
The endowment gift comes as a contribution to the school’s For Every Saint Campaign, with a goal of $100 million. The endowment provides tuition support to students demonstrating financial need in the Saint Martin’s nursing program.
The scholarship preference is to first provide scholarship support to nursing students from Clallam County or transfer nursing students from Peninsula College in Port Angeles. If there is no student meeting that criteria, it may then go to any nursing student with financial need.
“I am deeply inspired by the generous endowment established by the Crumb family in memory of Rose Crumb,” said Alana Murphy, director of Peninsula College’s Nursing Program.
“Rose was an influential figure in our community, embodying the very essence of nursing and inspiring countless individuals to pursue this noble profession,” Murphy said.
”This scholarship will not only provide critical financial support to nursing students but also honor the remarkable legacy of Rose as a nurse and hospice pioneer.
“We are grateful for the Crumbs’ dedication to service and their commitment to supporting the education of future nurses.”
The Crumb family’s gift of $150,000 was matched by the Saint Martin’s Abbey, bringing the initial scholarship endowment total to $300,000 in support of nursing students and doubling the impact of the Crumbs’ gift.
“This scholarship endowment, supported by donations from her nine children, is a fitting way to honor the life and legacy of our mother, who set such an example of a life spent in service to others and her community,” Patrick Crumb said.
“My wife Karen and I are committed to providing additional donations going forward to grow the scholarship endowment and to provide additional opportunities to nursing students in need of financial assistance. We are also incredibly thankful to the Abbey for its matching gift.”
The Saint Martin’s nursing program has three pathways to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): the traditional four-year BSN, the LPN to BSN and the RN to BSN. These nursing tracks have 200 nursing students who are learning to work across care settings from acute care hospitals to the community as Rose Crumb did for much of her career.
“The generous gift of an endowed nursing scholarship will not only provide critical nursing scholarships but will impact countless future patients cared for by these future nurses. Rose’s legacy as a nurse and hospice pioneer will be forever a part of the Saint Martin’s Nursing program,” said Teri Woo, Ph.D., director of Saint Martin’s Nursing Program.
