As a long-time board member and three-time chairperson of the Southwestern Community College Foundation, Reg Moody Sr., of Sylva knows how vital scholarships are in helping students complete their degrees.

And as the current chairman of WestCare Health System’s Board of Trustees, he is keenly aware that the nation’s nursing shortage is reaching crisis levels.

With all this in mind, Moody and his family have endowed a scholarship fund that will provide a minimum of $500 per year to help selected nursing students work toward their degrees.

“One reason our family has set up this scholarship is because we know that so many students need this kind of assistance in order to have the opportunity to go to school,” said Moody, who was on the SCC Foundation’s Board of Directors for 20 years. “We know the needs of the college, and we also know that the nursing shortage is nationwide and that it is supposed to get worse.”

Moody and his wife, Judy, have three children: Reg Moody Jr., owner of Moody Funeral Homes in Sylva and Bryson City; Ed Moody, vice president of Costa Del Mar Sunglass Company in Ormond Beach, Fla.; and Mary Moody-Bumgarner, manager of Enloe Marketplace in Dillsboro and a member of the SCC Foundation Board of Directors.

Reg Moody Sr. and Reg Moody Jr. both attended Southwestern for Emergency Medical Services training through the years, and Mary Moody-Bumgarner also attended classes at SCC.

In addition to the endowment, Moody also provided another $500 so that a scholarship can be given away this fall.

“Reg and Judy Moody have generously given and continue to give their time, talents and resources to improve the quality of life for all citizens,” said Dr. Cecil Groves, Southwestern Community College President. “SCC students, faculty and staff are most grateful and appreciative to the Moody family for their continuing generosity in support of education, especially as it relates to improved healthcare.”

If you would like to make a contribution to the Reg Moody Family Scholarship, contact Becky Medford, executive director of the SCC Foundation, at 586.4091 or 800.447.4091, ext. 218, or write to bmedford@southwest.cc.nc.us via e-mail.