Hilary Blount Gregory, a young registered nurse who graduated from Pacific Union College in 2000, passed away in a car crash on Silverado Trail this past summer. But her memory and the generosity of people who love Blount Gregory and her family have seeded new hope for single mom Jennie Oldenkamp. At an emotional luncheon, the freshman nursing student accepted a $2,000 award as the first recipient of the Hilary Blount RN Scholarship.

The scholarship was established by United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Gary Blount (Hilary’s father) is a physician. Colleagues and administration of the hospital established the scholarship at PUC in recognition of the loss suffered by the family, and the family plans to grow the scholarship further.

“I thought [Jennie] was a wonderful selection,” said Milli Stelling, mother of Blount Gregory. “Hilary was such a dedicated and outstanding nurse, and I think Jennie has so many of her qualities. All of us [Hilary’s father, Gary, and his wife, Lee, and Stelling and her husband, Rob] were very impressed with Jennie.”

Oldenkamp told the assembled family and a United Hospital representative that though the money was really important, even more important to her is the fact that someone believes in her—a single mother of two daughters, ages four and six.

“The feelings were so raw. These people just lost their daughter, and here they were, reaching out to me,” reflected Oldenkamp, who learned about PUC’s nursing program while being treated for cancer at Tillamook Country General Hospital, an Adventist Health facility in Oregon where Oldenkamp also worked as a phlebotomist and in the kitchen. After receiving a clean bill of health, she decided to apply to PUC’s nursing program to create a better life for her own daughters.

But the most important part of the story for Oldenkamp is God’s faithfulness. “I was astounded that God works so fast,” she said. Oldenkamp had been praying with a friend, Annette Togami of PUC health services, asking God to help her find $1,000 to buy textbooks and other necessities. By the time Oldenkamp got home, enrollment services called to say, “There’s a scholarship for you!”

“I’m still in awe,” reflects Oldenkamp. “I’m telling everyone about it to inspire them.”