Submitted PhotoFellowship Home at Brookside has made a five-year commitment to support patient care assistant and practical nursing programs at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. Chuck Roberts, Fellowship Home at Brookside community relations, Amanda Zeigler,  Fellowship Home at Brookside director of operations, George LaHood, The Fellowship Family regional executive director, John LaHood, The Fellowship Family president/CEO, Wiregrass President DeAnnia Clements, Stevan Van Hook, Wiregrass dean of health sciences, Katy Watson, Wiregrass assistant dean of health sciences, Crissy Staley, Wiregrass executive director of fundraising.

VALDOSTA — Fellowship Home at Brookside has made a five-year commitment to support patient care assistant and practical nursing programs at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.

The gift will be to fund scholarships for PCA students and future equipment needs for both programs, college officials said in a statement. 

“To recognize this generous gift from the Fellowship Home, Wiregrass will proudly rename the PCA program, ‘the Fellowship Home Personal Care Assisting Program,’ and the LPN lab will be named in honor of Fellowship Home founders George and Gonza LaHood,” college officials said.

“Fellowship Home has made it a priority to develop our team members and help them reach their highest potential,” said John LaHood, president and chief executive officer of The Fellowship Family. “We are excited to see our relationship with Wiregrass continue to grow and look forward to seeing many of these goals reached through this joint venture.”

The patient care assistant program is a technical certificate program that prepares students with the basic skills and knowledge needed to provide basic patient care, college officials said. The program has a job placement rate of 100%. 

Last fall, the LPN program was ranked No. 7 in the state by the Practical Nursing.org website. The diploma program takes two years to complete and has a job placement rate of 98.5%. 

The college’s economic development department also offers a certified nursing assistant fast track. Since its start in March, the CNA fast track path has hosted three Fellowship Home employees. Fellowship Home looks forward to many more employees completing the class in the years to come, college officials said.

Wiregrass President DeAnnia Clements said, “Wiregrass is appreciative to the LaHoods and Fellowship Home at Brookside for their support of our students and programs. We are looking forward to the naming ceremonies at a later date in the new Edward and Rhonda Mark Health Science Building.”

Anyone interested in making a program or scholarship donation can contact Crissy Staley, executive director of fundraising, (229) 333-2124 or at Crissy.staley@wiregrass.edu.  

The college is accepting new students for summer semester; classes begin May 16 and Summer Express term begins May 31. 

More information: www.wiregrass.edu.