Northeast Florida Counts Awards Change Agent Leadership Scholarship to Two NE FL Students

NORTHEAST FLORIDA COUNTS AWARDS CHANGE AGENT LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP TO TWO NE FL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA —- In February the partners of Northeast Florida Counts launched the Change Agent Leadership Scholarship (CALS) to recognize students’ visionary aptitudes and leadership abilities to create a plan to transform a Northeast Florida community into a vibrant and healthy place to live, work, and play.

On Saturday June 2, Northeast Florida Counts, a health-related quality of life data initiative of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida (501c3), awarded a one-year, non-renewable scholarship in the amount of $2,500 to two local students to help defer educational costs for a period of one year’s matriculation at any accredited two- or four-year college or university.

Margaret Loya is a home-schooled high school senior (c/o 2012) from St. Johns County. Miss Loya’s CALS entry was entitled “Ready, Set, Go!” and proposed action steps to educate her community about the impacts of high cholesterol, as well as reduction methods. As a dedicated volunteer at the Anastasia Island Branch Library, Miss Loya assists with summer youth programming, as well as within the Children’s Department, and has proven herself to be an invaluable asset to library staff. Her civic activities and community service extend through accomplishments at her church and service projects through the 4-H Club. Miss Loya will be attending Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania this fall.

Madeline Rollins attends Fleming Island High School (c/o 2012) in Clay County and was named the Salutatorian for the class of 2012. Her extracurricular activities include playing volleyball, basketball, and track; performing on the math team; and serving in a leadership capacity for the National Honor Society. Miss Rollins has a history of community service including as a group leader in vacation bible school and a leader at both the Fleming Island High School Volleyball and Basketball Camps. Currently Miss Rollins volunteers at The Way Free Medical Clinic in Green Cove Springs, Florida; she has also organized a fundraiser through a fair trade organization to benefit The Way. This volunteer work impacted Miss Rollin’s CALS entry, which focused on applying the concept of community-supported clinics to the issue of Americans living without health insurance. Miss Rollins will be attending Clemson University in South Carolina this fall.

The Partners of Northeast Florida Counts and the Health Planning Council were honored to have the following four visionary leaders serve as judges for the event:

*Ashley Hamn, recent biology graduate of Edward Waters College who regularly acts as a change agent within her community

*Tony Allegretti, Director of Downtown Engagement for the JAX Chamber

*Eric Mann, President and CEO of the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast

*Keith Cernak, Senior Manager for the Healthy Communities Institute, which is the organization that developed and hosts the Northeast Florida Counts website.

“Using Northeast Florida Counts, the recipients developed an evidence-based solution for improving the health and quality of life for a Northeast Florida community of their choosing and presented those solutions at the event on Saturday evening,” said Dawn Emerick, Ed.D, President & CEO of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida. “While all of the finalists displayed the attributes of a high achiever, our judges felt that the recipients displayed the four characteristics of success: vision, attraction, readiness and action for their desire to transform Northeast Florida into the healthiest region in the Southeast.”

Northeast Florida Counts is an innovative, one-stop source for population data and information about healthy communities. Funded by a broad partnership and managed by the Health Planning Council, Northeast Florida Counts illustrates a regional commitment to delivering a shared community resource

Left to Right: Ashley Hamn, Judge; Madeline Rollins, CALS Scholarship Recipient; Keith Cernak, Judge; Tony Allegretti, Judge;
Margaret Loya, CALS Scholarship Recipient; Eric Mann, Judge and Dawn Emerick, President & CEO of the Health Planning Council of NE FL.

Margaret Loya, CALS Scholarship Recipient

Madeline Rollins, CALS Scholarship Recipient

Print-ready art is available upon request. ###

The Mission of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, Inc. is to develop regional, unbiased research and evidence-based initiatives that promote healthy communities, lifestyles and improve accessible, quality health care.