Taos Lions Club Supports UNM-Taos Student Scholarship Program
September 21, 2022
Courtesy photo
From L-R: UNM-Taos Chancellor Mary Gutierrez, Ed.D.; Lions Club Treasurer Judy Cockburn; Lions Club President Wayne Rutherford; Lions Club Secretary Pat Martinez Rutherford; and UNM-Taos Director of Grants and Institutional Advancement Louis Moya, J.D.
On Monday, Sept. 19, members of the Lions Club of Taos presented UNM-Taos Chancellor Mary Gutierrez, Ed.D. — along with Director of Grants and Institutional Advancement Louis Moya, J.D. — with a check for $4,000 to support the club’s scholarship program at UNM-Taos.
The Lions Club of Taos has proudly partnered with UNM-Taos for more than five years to provide the necessary funding to UNM-Taos students looking to improve their lives through educational attainment. Over this time period, UNM-Taos and the Lions have worked together to award UNM-Taos students with over $80,000 in scholarship funding through the club’s scholarship program. This scholarship has provided financial assistance to individuals entering Nursing, Emergency Medical Technicians, Certified Nursing Assistants, and Commercial Driver’s License programs.
The scholarship gift funds for Fiscal Year 2023 were made by the Lions Club of Taos Board, whereby their decision on what programs would be funded and the criteria to select students for funding were made by the club’s board during their August monthly meeting. Per an August 15 award notice by Club Secretary Pat Martinez Rutherford, the Lions Scholarship Committee intended the funds to be contributed to a current student’s financial needs above tuition costs, given the new Opportunity Scholarship that supports tuition.
Of the $4,000 in total scholarship funding, $2,000 would be given to the UNM-Taos Nursing Program to support the nurses’ clinical rotation experience at the New Mexico State Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas, NM. One thousand dollars would be given to the UNM-Taos Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program to help CDL students with fees, supplies, and course materials. Lastly, $1,000 is to be given to the UNM-Taos Emergency Medical Technicians program as needed to help students with costs related to uniforms, supplies, and course materials.
The scholarship committee emphasized how important it was to highlight their intention that the money goes to students who are low-income, have a real need, and be given to students who intend to remain in the Taos community when entering the workforce.
