Manteo, North Carolina — On Sep. 25, College of The Albemarle (COA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a Nurse Aide scholarship with GEM Day Services, Inc. named the Susan K. Preston Memorial Scholarship, a restricted annual scholarship.

The scholarship, established with a gift of $5,000, will provide funding for residents of Dare, Currituck and/or Tyrrell Counties who are enrolled in the Nurse Aide program at COA, or who work as a Certified Nurse Aide. Preference will be given to students who plan to work with dementia patients.

GEM Day Services, Inc. is a community-based nonprofit organization that offers a supportive environment for adults with memory loss, physical and mental disabilities, as well as those in need of socialization. The scholarship is named after the late Susan K. Preston, an Outer Banks resident who passed away in 2018 after a courageous journey with frontotemporal dementia.

Mrs. Preston was a retired educator, a Dare County Master Gardener and a regular volunteer with Outer Banks Hotline. Through military transitions across the globe, Mrs. Preston stayed active in philanthropic work that included P.E.O. International and the American Red Cross, and one of her greatest honors was serving as an Arlington Lady at Arlington National Cemetery.

Mrs. Preston’s husband, Rear Admiral (ret.) Noel Preston, attended the signing and expressed his sincerity for honoring his late wife. “The results of this scholarship will provide great benefits for people in our community,” Mr. Preston said. “Gail Sonnesso and GEM have done so much for dementia patients and their caregivers on the Outer Banks. This partnership between COA and GEM will build upon that work, and naming the scholarship after Susan is a special honor for a special lady.”

For more information or to learn how to apply for Foundation scholarships at COA, please call 252-473-2264 ext. 2265.