The Rosa Wims, LPN, Scholarship Fund

From time to time, communities are fortunate enough to have someone who gives deeply of themselves to everyone around them without a second thought.

Mrs. Rosa Wims is that person for thousands of people living in Rochester. Her service, commitment, and dedication to everyone around her motivate others to be better and give more of themselves.

As a way to honor Mrs. Wims’ contributions and legacy, Rochester Regional Health is creating the Rosa W. Wims LPN Scholarship Fund to support the education, training, and certification of nursing students in efforts to promote a diversified and inclusive workforce throughout the Rochester Regional Health System.

A passion for others

One of the first African American nurses to work at Rochester Regional Health, Wims started her career in healthcare as an Environmental Services worker. After being recognized for her hard work and caring for others, she was given the opportunity to attend the Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing with full tuition support.

After graduating and forging a career as an LPN, Wims continued to work within her own community to promote health and wellness. She created the Faith Community Health Awareness Center on Genesee Street – later renamed in her honor – that gave food to families who needed it and provided them with basic medical services.

Wims also recognized early that hunger and adequate nutrition play a role in overall health equity. As another way of meeting the needs of people living in the Rochester community, she started a neighborhood Thanksgiving dinner on Jefferson Avenue. That eventually led her to serve on the board at Foodlink, the non-profit organization that has now helped to keep that Thanksgiving dinner tradition going for more than 30 years.

After decades of service to others through Rochester Regional, Wims retired from her career as an LPN at Rochester General Hospital in 1984.

At the Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing graduation in December 2020, school administrators recognized Wims by announcing the LPN Scholarship Fund. Efforts to raise additional support and awareness for the fund have been going ever since.

Deborah Stamps, Chief Nursing Education and Diversity Officer with Rochester Regional Health, said Wims has always been a giving person and is deeply service oriented.

“This is a way to honor a woman who has given so much to the community, not only in her day-to-day job while working as a nurse, but also in her faith community,” Stamps said. “She is focused on community service, giving, and diversity to ensure people have access to what they need.”

The potential for growth

By establishing the Scholarship Fund as a permanent part of the Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing, it will meet a critical need for continuing nursing education and increasing the diverse of the workforce that meets the needs in the Rochester community.

We graduate more diverse students leading to a more diverse workforce, this has the potential to lead people to make more informed health choices for themselves and their families. More good health decisions lead to better health outcomes, which can help to reduce some of the healthcare disparities that exist in these communities.

Rochester is the third poorest metropolitan area in the United States, with roughly 1 of every 3 people living in poverty, according to U.S. Census data. Scholarships like this one will allow people to have more economic mobility and come out of poverty – especially for single parent households.

For Stamps herself, seeing the path Wims took closely mirrored her own career trajectory.

“I started working as a home health aide as a single teenage parent and had the opportunity to go back to school to become an LPN,” Stamps said. “Working at Rochester General Hospital, I had great mentors and supporters who encouraged me to go back for continuing education. Rochester General helped with tuition support so I could continue to work, care for my daughter, and go to school full time.”

Future of the fund

The current goal of the Scholarship Fund is $100,000. Once the goal is met, the fund will become a permanent endowment for future nursing students.

Stamps said the Foundation aims to award scholarships to 3-4 students each year at the Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing.

Members of the community, including former City of Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson and former Rochester Regional Health Board member Rachel Adonis, are making donations and have helped to raise more than $36,000 for the fund.

“Mrs. Wims has a long legacy of giving and giving back,” Stamps said. “The opportunity to give and give back to future nurses in our community really aligns with who she is.