{"id":1694,"date":"2019-04-23T23:06:55","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T23:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/?page_id=1694"},"modified":"2024-02-23T20:31:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T20:31:06","slug":"wings-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wings","title":{"rendered":"WINGS Scholarship Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t\t\t\"WINGS\n\t

The WINGS Award was created and is funded by past recipients of YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award. Although the final Women of Distinction event took place in 2022, WINGS Awards will be incorporated into YWCA’s Annual Circle Luncheon moving forward.<\/p>\n

Women of Distinction have a shared commitment to give back to other women in McLean County so they created this award to encourage development in women, both professionally and personally, through mentoring and financial support. The award is given annually to a Woman to Improve her skills for a Notable purpose which allows her to Grow professionally and to achieve Success.<\/p>\n

2024 WINGS Awardees will be honored at YWCA’s annual fundraiser, Circle, on Thursday, May 16 at the DoubleTree by Hilton.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t2024 APPLICATION CYCLE IS CLOSED\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSupport the Scholarship\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

\n\t\tIn Memory of Kaitlyn Erdman\n\t<\/h2>\n\t

Kaitlyn Erdman, a 2018 recipient of the WINGS award, was a dedicated nursing student pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Methodist College in Peoria. Despite the challenges, she commuted from Chenoa to Peoria three to four days a week while working full-time at OSF in Bloomington. Alongside her fianc\u00e9, Oscar, she was also caring for their one-year-old daughter, Tinley.<\/p>\n

Tragically, on June 15, 2018-just three weeks after receiving her well-deserved WINGS award-Kaitlyn’s life was cut short in a car accident on her way to work on I-55 near Lexington. She was only 25 years old.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the award was renamed to honor her memory, now known as the Kaitlyn M. Erdman Memorial WINGS Award. A devoted mother, student and advocate, Kaitlyn epitomized the intent and purpose of the WINGS Award.<\/p>\n

\n\t\tEligibility\n\t<\/h2>\n\t

Individuals who identify as women and demonstrate their commitment to professional and personal growth and to service in McLean County are eligible for a WINGS Award.<\/p>\n

Past WINGS winners are not eligible to apply.<\/p>\n

Completed applications are due by 12 p.m. Friday, February 23, 2024 and must include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Scholarship Application<\/li>\n
  • Reference Form completed by a non-relative who knows you and your goals well-such as a co-worker, supervisor, community volunteer coordinator, teacher, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Completed WINGS applications and reference forms may be:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Submitted with the online forms<\/li>\n
    • Emailed to ywdevelopment@ywcamclean.org (subject line: WINGS Award)<\/li>\n
    • Faxed to (309) 662-4506<\/li>\n
    • Printed and mailed\/delivered to:
      \nYWCA McLean County, Attn: WINGS, 1201 N. Hershey Rd., Bloomington, IL 61704<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \n\t\tUse of Funds\n\t<\/h2>\n\t

      WINGS awards, up to $1,500, will be granted to a recipient (or recipients) for a future<\/em> endeavor that helps them grow professionally and personally.<\/p>\n

      Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Workshops and seminars (tuition and class fees)<\/li>\n
      • Professional conferences (registration fees)<\/li>\n
      • Tuition, software, books, and other materials related to the endeavor<\/li>\n
      • Certification preparation work, exams, registration and\/or licensing<\/li>\n
      • Local opportunities for development, such as the Multicultural Leadership Program<\/li>\n
      • Other costs incurred as a result of the approved endeavor (such as child care, transportation, lodging and meals for out-of-town activities, etc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \n\t\tStories of WINGS Recipients\n\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

        THE REWARDING PURSUIT OF PUBLIC HEALTH<\/h4>

        In 2008, Brianna Welch was a recent college graduate who envisioned a future attending medical school. But, in combination, Welch’s experiences volunteering in Bloomington-Normal and earning the WINGS scholarship award led her to pursue another path-a path pursuing public health.<\/p>\n

        While volunteering as a translator at the Community Health Care Clinic (CHCC) in Normal, Welch transferred the concepts she learned in college to a community-based medical setting. “The opportunity I had to work at the CHCC was huge, especially as I was trying to figure out what my career was going to look like,” Welch said.<\/p>\n

        This career, Welch imagined, would involve focusing on healthy outcomes through preventative medicine with a career as a doctor. With the WINGS award earned in 2008, Welch studied for and took the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).<\/p>\n

        “I love the mission of YWCA and was so grateful for the opportunity I got with the WINGS award,” Welch said. “The whole process of being able to meet the women who were part of the WINGS award and the Women of Distinction, and just getting to hear their stories, was a huge inspiration.”<\/p>\n

        As Welch’s journey continued, she applied for fellowships before applying to medical school. After she was offered a fellowship as a part of the Public Health Associate Program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Welch moved to North Carolina.<\/p>\n

        After her fellowship ended, Welch accepted a full-time position as a social clinical research specialist with the Department of Public Health in Raleigh.<\/p>\n

        As she continues on her professional journey, Welch hopes to continue to adapt and pursue whatever passions call to her.<\/p>\n

        “I hope to continue living out my principles and values.”<\/p>\n\"\"\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

        CHANGING WHAT WE SEE THROUGH THEATRE<\/h4>

        As a sophomore in college, Kamaya Thompson knew her vision. “In order to strengthen our communities, we must change what we think by changing what we see. That is my life purpose: to change what we see,” she wrote in her application for a WINGS scholarship award.<\/p>\n

        In 2016, Thompson continued to pursue her self-defined purpose through her passion for theatre. In 2009, Thompson founded Only Punks Pull Triggers (OPPT)-a performing arts organization dedicated to violence prevention and conflict resolution skills in response to personal experiences related to gun violence.<\/p>\n

        A Chicago native, Thompson applied for the award in 2010 to advance the troupe’s marketing efforts with the goal of helping OPPT expand and grow.<\/p>\n

        “Receiving the WINGS award was a very pivotal moment in my life and an experience I’ll never forget. It gave me the confidence and motivation I needed to keep pursuing my dreams,” said Thompson, who received the award while she was a theatre arts student at Illinois Wesleyan University.<\/p>\n

        Thompson currently works as a drama instructor at South Shore Cultural Center (SSCC) in Chicago, where she teaches theatre arts to children ages eight to 12.<\/p>\n

        She also lends her voice to current issues in society.<\/p>\n

        “I have continued to write plays and poems that address issues of civil and human rights, particularly regarding gay marriage and the #BlackLivesMatter movement.”<\/p>\n\"\"\t\t\t\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The WINGS Award was created and is funded by past recipients of YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award. Although the final Women of Distinction event took place in 2022, WINGS Awards…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":108,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1694"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1694"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6394,"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1694\/revisions\/6394"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ywcamclean.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}