Giving is Living and CAS is There to Help

Pasadena's Convalescent Aid Society (CAS) grants scholarship to Azusa Pacific University students. Rosy Javier and Veronica Dougherty were each honored with a $2,000 scholarship to aid their efforts toward serving others.

Pasadena, CA (PRWEB) March 21, 2007 -- The lives of two worthy Azusa Pacific University nursing students have been significantly changed recently because of Pasadena's Convalescent Aid Society (CAS). Rosy Javier and Veronica Dougherty were each honored with a $2,000 scholarship to aid their efforts toward serving others.

Javier, 21, who comes from a family of medical professionals, had to get a part-time job as a behavior therapist to help pay for her tuition. Finding out about the scholarship on the very due date of the applications then was nothing short of serendipitous.

"As a little girl, I (have) always wanted a career in the services - any situation where I could make a difference," said Javier, who worked with the kids on Skid Row as an advisor and mentor during her first two years of high school. "It's so fulfilling," she confirmed, "that I know it's what I want to do with my life." Javier looks forward to getting her master's degree in hospital administration and someday open a free clinic in inner city Los Angeles.

Dougherty, 41, is a wife and mother of 4 kids. Unlike some tireless college-aged students, her obstacles also included the difficulty of re-entering school later in life.

"I was committed to going back to school," she said, "but didn't know how I would pay for it. With the financial assistance that CAS has provided, I'm absolutely grateful beyond words. It has made all the difference."

Specifically, Dougherty expressed a love for helping others in times of distress. "I want to make to make a difference in the lives of those who feel as if they've lost hope, whether it's HIV patients or unwed teenage mothers."

Someday, she hopes that these aims will lead her to different countries to provide health care. "I especially feel drawn to the underprivileged ones that don't have access to it - the people who can't afford health care or live miles away from the nearest hospital."

For more than 80 years, CAS has been providing the same service to the residents of the San Gabriel Valley. They offer everyday equipment needs, free of charge, from new wheelchairs and walkers to hospital beds and hover lifts - straight to the homes of satisfied San Gabriel Valley residents. To make a donation, visit www.cas1.org or go to their main office at 3255 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena. - S.D.H.

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