News Article

Public Invited to JJ Jones Hall Dedication at Edison College

Jun 5, 2008

The community is invited to the Charlotte Campus of Edison College for the renaming of the Health Science Building to the JJ Jones Hall at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 6th.

A longtime Punta Gorda Isles resident, JJ began her distinguished career as a member of the Army Nurse Corps in World War II, and worked as a nurse for most of her life. Because of her love of the healing profession and her desire to help dedicated students achieve their dreams of becoming nurses, JJ has established a trust to provide scholarships and support for nursing education at the Charlotte Campus.

Fifty-thousand dollars of her $500,000 gift annuity to the Edison College Foundation, Inc., expected to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the state of Florida, will create a $100,000 JJ Jones Nursing Scholarship Endowment Fund. The remaining $450,000 also is anticipated to be matched on a two-thirds basis under a separate program to provide curricular enhancements and equipment for nursing, yielding $750,000 for the JJ Jones Endowed Chair of Excellence in Nursing, for a total gift of $850,000.

In 2006, Charlotte County celebrated the first class of nurses -- ready to take state board exams to become registered nurses -- from Edison's Charlotte Campus. The program was made possible through private, corporate, county and federal dollars. Continuing financial support will assure an ongoing stream of graduates to work in our local hospitals, physicians' offices and other healthcare facilities. Statistics show that 98 percrnt of our graduating students are staying in Charlotte County.

In celebration of JJ Jones' generous gift, cake and refreshments will be served at a reception immediately following the ceremony. Please call 637-5604 for more information.

Last Updated: June 5, 2008