ONSLOW COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – As there is a nursing shortage in the country, a scholarship to remember Ed Garris, who is well-known in the community, will help nurses in school.
Beds are full of patients at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, who wait to be treated by nursing students.
“Nursing is a promising field that young people can get involved in to create a career that they can go anywhere and be part of the nursing profession,” said Thomas Giffin, the executive director for Onslow Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Now, the scholarship is a new way to honor Garris, who was a big part of the community through his volunteer efforts and as the Chair of the Onslow County Memorial Hospital Foundation. He died in February 2025.
“Ed was a great person in that he was so involved in the community in a number of ways,” said Giffin.
The scholarship will help nursing students with their books, stethoscopes, tuition, and more.
“I was extremely excited,” said Emily Ellis, the executive director for Coastal Carolina Community College. “I received the call from Onslow Memorial Hospital Foundation to let us know a scholarship was going to be starting in memory of Ed Garris. This means so much to our nursing professionals in our whole community in Onslow County.”
The funding for the scholarship will be a $6,000 award provided by the OMH Foundation Board to Coastal Carolina.
While he is no longer here, many say the memory of Garris will continue to show through the Onslow County nurses.
“I would love to see for our students to finish their education and be debt free and to be able to enter the workforce here in Onslow County and make a difference in our community.”
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