Jennifer Tartthen, 37, is the recipient of a scholarship given by the MOMS Club of Mount Laurel East, which is a first in the International MOMS Club organization.
“The amount awarded was $250, providing financial assistance toward tuition, fees or textbook(s),” said the club’s administrative vice president Diana Boyanova.
The scholarship was established last November to help meet needs for a Mount Laurel resident attending Burlington Community College, she said.
Tartthen received two emails from the college urging her to apply for the scholarship. At first, she thought, “OK, I’ll get around to it.”
Upon receiving the second email, she decided to see if she qualified.
“I was very happy when they wrote back to me,” she said.
She had never received a scholarship before.
“I had applied for other scholarships, but I never, ever received any — so I was very shocked,” she said. “I was ecstatic.”
She is in her second year of pre-requisite classes with hopes of entering the nursing program.
Tartthen said it is great to receive help and support from the club with her journey into her “new future.”
“Nursing’s always been my dream,” she said. “Every penny helps when you’re going to school.”
The criterion to win the scholarship was extensive.
First, the applicant had to be a mom residing in Mount Laurel, said Boyanova. She had to be enrolled as a part-time or full-time student in good academic standing.
In addition, the mom had to demonstrate financial need as determined by the BCC Scholarship Committee, and provide two letters of recommendation from credible sources.
Tartthen wrote an essay up to 500 words on the topic “How would college education help me become a better mom?”
Lastly, she had to complete a Burlington County College Foundation Scholarship application.
According to Boyanova, “We are a nonprofit group designed to support moms who chose to be at home with their children. This includes moms who are at-home either full-time or part-time and also includes moms who work at home.”
The club began in 1983, and there are now more than 21,000 chapters in the United States with more than 110,000 members.
The Mount Laurel East chapter has about 30 active members, she said. There is also a Mount Laurel West chapter.
The MOMS Club website explains, “We offer a wide variety of activities for our members and their children to enjoy and participate in. We meet during the day when stay at home moms often need support the most.”
Now, the club has supported Tartthen in her journey toward becoming a nurse.
“I just think it’s a wonderful scholarship that they’re giving out for people like myself who want to go back to school and get an education,” Tartthen said.
The MOMS Club will be holding a membership open house on May 10 at 10 a.m. at the Firehouse on Elbo Lane, said Boyanova. The club is inviting local families to take a tour of the firehouse, watch a fire pole demonstration, among other events during the day.
For more information, visit www.east.momsclubmountlaurel.org.
