Panola College receives $9,647 in grants from East Texas Communities Foundation

Panola College has been awarded $9,647 in grant funding from East Texas Communities Foundation. The grant includes $5,715 from the Betty and Roy Erickson Grant for Nursing Fund to purchase three Alaris Medley IV pumps and one Alaris PCA syringe pump, and $3,932 from the John Reagan Harris Community Grant to acquire a geriatric manikin and a blood pressure arm.

Dana Durman, Program Officer with the East Texas Communities Foundation, recently visited Panola College to present the donation check and tour the Gregory S. Powell Science Center on the Carthage campus.

“Thanks to the generosity of the East Texas Communities Foundation, our students will benefit from the kind of hands-on training that truly prepares them for real-world healthcare environments,” said Annissa Jackson, Chair of the Nursing Program.

The East Texas Communities Foundation is a nonprofit corporation serving 32 counties in East Texas. In 2024 alone, the Foundation distributed $19.9 million in grants and currently manages over $137 million in more than 445 unique charitable funds. Since its founding in 1989, the Foundation has awarded over $157 million in grants and scholarships.

The Betty and Roy Erickson Grant for Nursing Fund supports nursing education across East Texas, while the John Reagan Harris Community Fund provides resources for civic, religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational projects that benefit the Center, Texas community.

“This support from the John Reagan Harris Community Fund will allow us to provide more realistic and relevant training experiences for our students,” explained Whitney McBee, Director of Workforce and Continuing Education. “These tools will strengthen our ability to train future healthcare professionals to meet the unique needs of our local communities.”