The following article appeared in the Tuesday, July 2, 2013 issue of the Pierce County Herald which is published in Ellsworth, WI:
Judy Ann Walz, former Pierce County native, will launch a “Healing Choices” scholarship for area schools in late July or early August
It will be aimed at junior high (middle school) students who have interests in humanity and healing, such as nursing, art and music therapy, social work, care giving ministries, such as hospice, and others.
Walz, MSN, RN, is a community educator on holistic health and a certified psychotherapist. She has a Master’s Degree in nursing and has done graduate work in psychology. She is the author of two books: “Quick Fixes to Change Your Life” and “Breathing and Breaking Through Illusions,” a book of prose and poetry.
The present Germantown resident said, of the six high schools in Pierce County, she attended four. She plans to meet with school officials in Elmwood in late July to put together a master format for the scholarship and hopes to implement it there, along with at Ellsworth High, Plum City, Prescott and Spring Valley.
The scholarship has been well-received by school officials in the area, Walz said. She shared the following about her effort:
“I am creating ‘Healing Choices’ Scholarship Fund as a tribute to my grandparents: Tillie and Henry Walz. These two people had nine children--six daughters and three sons--and 33 grandchildren. The timing and nature of my childhood, and our proximity to my grandparents, drew me to Grandma and Grandpa for mentoring. Fortunately for me, it was the perfect timing for them as well.
“I've known that I've wanted to be a nurse since I was six-years-old. These two people saw the dream in me, inspired, coached and, most of all, believed in me. They created my first "clinic box" out of a cigar box, triangles cut out of Grandma's well-used aprons to use for slings, strips of flour sacks for roller gauze, and saved Popsicle sticks for splints. I will never forget the lessons they've taught, the values they inspired, their work ethic, nor how they treasured me always.
“I was about eight-years-old when Grandpa said to me, ‘I hope that somebody does something good with the name of Walz.’ When I was eight, my Grandpa would have been in his late sixties. I am now his age! And I am invested in the developmental tasks for the sixth decade of our life. Those include generativity, taking time for children, evaluating the legacy we leave behind, and deepening our spiritual awareness...the bottom-line is that we don't want to be forgotten or to waste another minute.
“I am creating this scholarship fund for all of the above reasons and, even as I write out these reflections, these two jewels are between the lines.”
See more at:
http://www.piercecountyherald.com/content/walz-launches-scholarship-area-schools#sthash.kpjbImjc.dpuf