Giving endures: Edward Percy Atkinson Scholarship gives back to student in honor of donor’s father

INA, Ill.– For Rend Lake College Foundation scholarship donor Pamela Atkinson-Chadbourne, the saying, ‘what goes around comes around’ has never been truer. After the loss of her father in 2013, Atkinson-Chadbourne and her family established the Edward Percy Atkinson Scholarship, and through it, her father’s spirit continues to give back to those who made his last years special.

Atkinson-Chadbourne said the scholarship will continue to give back to an RLC student enrolled in a health care program because of the care the certified nurse assistants (CNAs) gave her father at Stonebridge Senior Living Center in Benton. The idea for the scholarship started with wanting to be a stepping stone for a student who plans to care for others, specifically the elderly, as Atkinson was cared for.

For the last two years, Tymber Downen of Wayne City – an RLC nursing student – has been the recipient of the Edward Percy Atkinson Scholarship. Downen will graduate next month with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from RLC.

“When my dad was living at Stonebridge, the care he received from his CNAs was overwhelming. He loved all of them and they had such a kindness in their hearts,” said Atkinson-Chadbourne. “My dad loved people, and I know he would’ve adored Tymber. He was a very kindhearted man, and so we’d like to keep the scholarship going in his honor.”