The $$Pikeville Campus Healthy Fun Fair, an event which provides valuable health screenings free of charge to the Pikeville community, was recognized as the recipient of the Kentucky Association of Career Colleges and Schools (KACCS) 2014 Community Service Award. The award was accepted by Pikeville Campus director Tammy Riley during the KACCS Educational Conference and Annual Meeting which was held in Louisville on Thursday and Friday, August 21 and 22.
According to Tammy, the Healthy Fun Fair is a collaborative effort between American National University students and the Eastern Kentucky medical community. The purpose of the Healthy Fun Fair, which was held for the 7th consecutive year in July, is to provide health screenings, medical services, and wellness and safety education to all ages in a fun environment. It is estimated that students and staff from the campus contribute over 100 volunteer hours each year to plan and execute the event.
[img]“The Healthy Fun Fair started with a press release announcing and celebrating the nursing program, and it has steadily grown over the years,” Tammy said when accepting the award. “We’ve added the “D.O.’s on the Go” and a mobile dental clinic. It offers and provides great services to some that would not have that information. This event, as well as what we do, reaches out to all.”
In addition to the Community Service Award, a number of other awards were presented during the conference. Senator Mike Wilson, who serves Senate District 32, was selected as the Legislator of the Year in recognition of his strong support of career college education. Senator Wilson is the chairman of the Education committee and co-chair of the Education Assessment & Accountability Review Subcommittee.
“The importance of career colleges for workforce development cannot be underestimated, because you guys are filling a real need,” Senator Wilson said. “I know that you say ‘What we teach works’ is the motto, and indeed it does, because there was a time, not too long ago, when many people thought that career colleges were for the student who couldn’t go to the real or traditional universities. But I’m here to tell you that your schools are, more and more, being recognized as students’ first choice for cost and substantive education, because what you teach does work.”
Senator Wilson added that career colleges help meet an increasing demand for skilled workers, particularly in the area of computer technology. “The bottom line is that three million jobs go unfilled every year, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, because our people do not have the skills to fill those jobs,” he explained. “You’re doing valuable work here, because the need is so great, and I appreciate everything that you’re doing. I look forward to collaborating with you in the future to ensure that Kentuckians are educated and employed.”
Campus directors and other staff and faculty members from all six American National University Kentucky Campuses participated in the KACCS conference, which included keynote addresses by Dr. Aaron Thompson, executive vice president of the Council on Postsecondary Education; Bruce Leftwich, senior vice president, legislation, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU); and Dr. Henry Johnson.
A-The $$Pikeville Campus Healthy Fun Fair was the recipient of the Kentucky Association of Career Colleges and Schools 2014 Community Service Award. Campus Director Tammy Riley is shown holding the award surrounded by students and staff from the campus who contributed over 100 hours of service during planning and execution of the event.
B-Senator Mike Wilson, who received the 2014 Legislator of the Year Award from the Kentucky Association of Career Colleges and Schools, is shown at KACCS Career College Day at the Capitol, where he received a blood pressure screening from medical assisting student Nicole Foree.
