DRISCOLL SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO
CURRENT/PAST HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY PATIENTS

(Corpus Christi, TX) College-bound students from Driscoll Children Hospital’s Hematology and Oncology Clinic were recently awarded scholarships to help finance their continuing education. Eight Marcia K. Wilcox Scholarships, totaling $8,000, were awarded to students for the upcoming year.

Marcia K. Wilcox began working as a volunteer at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in 1967. She was a presence in the hospital for over twenty-two years until a few days before her death from cancer in March 1990. The Hospital's Auxiliary Board formed a scholarship fund in her name awarding the first scholarship in July 1992. Donations, along with a percentage of the hospital Gift Shop Christmas Card sales, have allowed present and former cancer patients of Driscoll to be college scholarship recipients.

Marcia K. Wilcox 2003 – 2004 Scholarship recipients include:

• John Beanland, age 18
  John is a graduate of Mary Carroll High School in Corpus Christi. He will be attending Del Mar College as a freshman, and is interested in the field of physics.
  
• Melissa Briseno, age 22
  Melissa is a graduate of Ray High School in Corpus Christi. She is attending the University of Texas in San Antonio as a Senior, and is interested in exploring the field of music marketing.
  
• Robert Hans, age 18
  Robert is a graduate of Alice High School in Alice. He will be attending Blinn College as a freshman, and is interested in the field of nursing and medicine.
  
• Cheryl Harding, age 19
  Cheryl is a graduate of Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi. She is attending Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff as a Junior, and is interested in becoming a doctor.
  
• Maricella Hernandez, age 23
  Maricella is a graduate of Robstown High School in Robstown. She is attending Texas A&M University in College Station as a Senior, and intends on graduating with a Bachelor’s in Industrial Distribution.
  
• Gilbert Ibarra, age 19
  Gilbert is a graduate of Gladis Porter High School in Brownsville. He will be attending the University of Texas at Brownsville.
  
• Carlos Solis, age 19
  Carlos is a graduate of Moody High School in Corpus Christi. He is attending Our Lady of the Lakes in San Antonio as a Sophomore, and is interested in his joining the priesthood.
  
• Jacoba van Heugten, age 21
  Jacoba is a graduate of Ray High School in Corpus Christi. She is attending Boston University in Boston as a Junior, and is interested in the field of international relations.

Each year, Driscoll's Hematology and Oncology Department supplies a list of eligible students to the Driscoll Children's Hospital's Auxiliary Board's Scholarship Committee. These students are currently or have been in the past treated for cancer or other blood disorders, and will be attending college the following Fall. After filling out applications, which outline G.P.A., extra-curricular activities and future goals, students participate in individual interviews. Scholarships are based on G.P.A. and need, as well as other scholarships the student is receiving.

About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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