Community Memorial Healthcare
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Sophie Edwards, Marysville, was selected as the 2025 recipient of the Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation (CMH Foundation) Nursing Scholarship and the Henry W. Hoppenstedt Nursing Scholarship. The CMH Foundation Scholarship covers up to $5,000 per semester, for a full-time student in an Advanced Degree Nursing (ADN) program. The Hoppenstedt Scholarship amount is $2,000 annually, with $1,000 given each semester.
Edwards (left) is a 2024 graduate of Marysville High School. She has been accepted into the ADN program at Cloud County Community College beginning with the fall 20025 semester. She has worked at Cambridge Place Senior Village, The Lighthouse Memory Support Residence, Manhattan Via Christi, and is currently a CNA at Community Memorial Healthcare. “As a CNA, my heart has always been focused on caring for people who really help,” Edwards said. “In rural areas, you get to know people really well. You see them in the grocery store, at church, or walking down the street. I think that makes care more personal and special. Rural communities need dedicated healthcare workers who truly care, and I’m ready to be one of them.”
The CMH Foundation Nursing Scholarship was created in 2024 to assist Community Memorial Healthcare in its nurse recruitment efforts and made possible through a generous gift to the Foundation from the Gordon & Helen Johnson Estate. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were faithful supporters of the hospital, from the time it was built in 1952, throughout the remainder of their lives. Although they did not request any designations for their gift, the foundation board of trustees believes Gordon & Helen would be pleased that a portion of it is helping to cultivate the next generation of nurses to work here. Recipients of the scholarship agree to work at CMH a minimum of three years once they have completed their educational program and obtained their licensure.
The Hoppenstedt Nursing Scholarship is made possible through the Henry W. Hoppenstedt Trust and was created in 2006 to advance nursing and nurse education. Hoppenstedt, born and raised near Herkimer, spent his life farming and raising livestock. He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church. A patient of Community Memorial Healthcare, Hoppenstedt was especially fond of nursing staff members who cared for him during his hospital stays.
“Awarding these scholarships not only reflects Mr. Hoppenstedt’s high regard for our nurses, but also the Foundation’s support to address today’s nursing shortage. We are honored to have the ability to assist individuals like Sophie, who is dedicating her career to the nursing profession,” said Curtis Hawkinson, hospital administrator.
