Nightingale Foundation Attends Flame Forward! Conference
Nightingale Foundation showcased its work supporting the next generation of nurses at the annual Flame Forward! conference in August. Every year, Nightingale Education Group brings its employees together for three days of influential keynotes, powerful collaboration, opportunities to give back to their community, and plenty of fun. This year, Nightingale Foundation was invited to speak to Nightingale employees and share how it is impacting the lives of current and future nursing students.
When asked about the Foundation’s experience at the Flame Forward! conference, Executive Director, Katy Shoemaker said that the first thought that came to the top of her mind was deep gratitude. “The Foundation had great exposure throughout the entire event which started on day one when I went on stage to speak to 800 people about the Foundation’s mission, vision, and objectives and how the different facets of our work interplay into what Nightingale Education Group does,” said Katy. During the conference, Katy asked people who had donated, volunteered, or supported the Foundation in the past year to stand up and a large number of Nightingale employees proudly showed their support for the Foundation. Everyone was able to visually see the impact that had been made over the past year and it was a moment that was truly special.
The main focus of the Nightingale Foundation’s fundraising efforts was centered around an opportunity drawing where donated items and experiences we’re drawn throughout Nightingale Education Group’s annual gala. The Nightingale Foundation’s opportunity drawing fundraiser featured prizes like three opportunities to win 100,000 Delta SkyMiles, a Park City cabin getaway, an autographed Utah Jazz basketball, Broadway tickets, premium spirits, Utah Hockey Club tickets, and more. There were over 350 donors who contributed to raising over $10,500 for the Foundation which was more than double the amount of donations raised from the year before. “During the conference we had many people stop by our booth not only to donate but to learn more about what the Foundation is doing and how they can get involved,” said Katy. “This year we had a lot of repeat visitors who had visited our booth the year prior. This established a knowledge baseline of what the Foundation does and to me that was a beautiful indicator of the work we are doing and the outreach that we are able to have to the different people within our network.”
Throughout the week, the Foundation had an influx of people who asked questions based on their needs, the learners they are impacting, and how they could help. Overall, the Foundation’s attendance at the conference was a great success. “Many people said how inspiring it was to have awardee stories featured on our tables throughout the conference,” said Katy. “It allowed conference attendees the opportunity to walk around and read the compelling stories of the learners that we are giving funding to. It also let the people who have already volunteered as scholarship reviewers see their efforts in real time considering they had something to do with these students’ success. It was an amazing thing to watch.” During the conference, the Foundation also coordinated a philanthropic activity where participants helped create over 1,000 backpacks that we’re filled with school supplies. These backpacks we’re then given to students in low-income school districts in Salt Lake City who may not be able to afford the things that they need to be successful in school.
With a considerable amount of success coming out of the Flame Forward! conference, the Nightingale Foundation is looking forward to future conferences so that they can engage with more attendees as Nightingale Education Group continues to grow its numbers. By continuing to share its impact, the Foundation saw substantial growth in many aspects. The hope is to see growth year after year when it comes to the sum of donations, scholarships awarded, amount of resources they provide, and number of students that they can impact through their middle and high school outreach programs.
If you are interested in supporting current and prospective nursing students, you can donate the scholarship program here: https://nightingalefoundation.com/donations/donate/. By donating to the Nightingale Foundation, you are directly providing financial resources for those who are wanting to make a difference in the field of nursing.