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Nursing scholarship honors alumna,
A longtime Chippewa Falls area nurse and former Wisconsin school nurse of the year has been memorialized with an endowed scholarship for high school graduates from Chippewa Falls. The family of Joan Wiensch, who served for 23 years as a school nurse in the Chippewa Falls School District, has established the Joan M. Wiensch Memorial Nursing Scholarship with the UW-Eau Claire Foundation. Joan Wiensch died on Dec. 2, 2004. She was a UW-Eau Claire alumna. Robert Wiensch, Joan’s husband, established the scholarship as a tribute to her long career in nursing and her passion for helping children. Before becoming a school nurse, Joan was a surgical and pediatrics nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls. “Joan dedicated her life to children,” said Robert Wiensch. “She was devoted to helping others.” “Scholarships that help nursing students are particularly welcome with the increasing cost of tuition,” said Dr. Elaine Wendt, dean of the UW-Eau Claire College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “When they come in the form of memorial gifts to honor someone’s long-standing career in nursing, it's all the more special. We hope the recipients of this scholarship will model Joan’s dedication to the nursing profession.” In addition to UW-Eau Claire, Joan Wiensch attended St. Francis School of Nursing in La Crosse and Milton College. She was a volunteer caregiver from Triniteam and nurse volunteer for Camp Courage. She also was a member of the Wisconsin Association of School Nurses and the 1993 Wisconsin school nurse of the year. The first Joan M. Wiensch Memorial Nursing Scholarship will be awarded for the 2005-06 academic year. All gifts to this fund are being recognized through the Foundation’s Fulfilling the Promise of Excellence comprehensive campaign, which seeks to generate more than $50 million in private support for various university initiatives. The campaign runs through Dec. 31, 2007.
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