Charlene and Dale Werling are honoring a friend and mentor through a scholarship at the Goldfarb School of Nursing.
Though Charlene Werling retired from nursing several years ago, she still misses the community she formed from her days at Jewish Hospital School of Nursing, where she made lifelong friends as she studied the art and science of compassionate nursing.
"I always wanted to be a nurse," Charlene says. "I got accepted to Jewish Hospital School of Nursing, and it was meant to be. I made so many good friends."
In fact, her husband, Dale, noticed the strong bond between classmates who went on to be roommates, travel buddies, volunteer partners and more.
"It was a wonderful experience for me to see how close they were to each other," he says.
One friend in particular, Linda Stamm, made an impact that Charlene and Dale are honoring through a gift in their estate plan to benefit a scholarship at Barnes-Jewish College's Goldfarb School of Nursing.
"She was a very good friend and mentor, and she was always there for you," Charlene says. "This scholarship is such a tribute to her. Nursing was her life, and I'd like to see her legacy carried on."
At the same time, the couple hopes to pay it forward so more students can study nursing—and enjoy the rewarding sense of community Charlene experienced—without the financial burden.
"There are people who have the desire, the compassion and the ability to become a nurse, but not the resources," Charlene says. "My husband and I did not have children to put through college, so we felt making a gift in our will to benefit a nursing scholarship was a good way to invest in the future of nursing, while honoring a good friend's memory."
Celebrate Your Bond
Like the Werlings, you can recognize the impact an individual has had on your life by making a gift to The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital in their honor. Contact Joan Cheaney, CFRE, at 314-286-0704 or PlannedGiving@BJC.org to learn more.