Blessing Foundation Inc




Helping Nursing Students in Crisis

Read on to see how the Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund steps in when other resources are exhausted 
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March 2020

Unexpected expenses and financial difficulties could easily force students to delay or end their nursing education.

A generous benefactor created a fund to ensure Blessing-Rieman students facing a financial crisis get the help they need.

At 35, Sarah Kramer decided it was time to pursue a more meaningful career. So, she gave up her banking job and enrolled in nursing school.

“I wish I would have pursued health care from the get-go,” Sarah said. “I was pushed toward business. But on my 35th birthday, I was at work and I realized that sitting at a desk is not what I wanted. I said, ‘I can’t do this for 30 more years.’”

Sarah Kramer with Her Two Daughters | Nursing Students

Sarah saw an advertisement for a Second Degree BSN program offered by Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing & Health Sciences – and she started on the road toward her dream career.

But when the single mom of two teen daughters encountered some financial bumps in the road, she started to worry.

Thankfully, Sarah was able to get help through a Blessing Foundation fund created specifically for nursing students in financial crisis. Grants from the fund allowed her to pay for groceries and gas, stop stressing about money, and focus on her education and future career.

“I didn’t want to give up school or time with my kids,” Sarah said. “I appreciate the assistance and just the peace of mind it gives.”

Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund helps ‘when the usual resources are exhausted’

The benefactor responsible for helping Sarah and countless other Blessing-Rieman students is the late Milton W. Brown, a long-time educator whose sister graduated from the Blessing School of Nursing in 1916.

Dr. Brown established the fund upon his death in 1981 as a memorial to his wife. The Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund has since helped many students with medication costs, rent, car payments, gasoline cards, electric bills, and groceries, to name a few.

In his estate, Dr. Brown explained why he wanted funds set aside to meet the extraordinary financial needs that occasionally overwhelm worthy, financially struggling students of the college:  

“There are federal and state financial aid programs that address the problems of low-income students and current institutional programs offer meaningful subsidy to these programs. There are a number of programs that assist and reward the particularly bright or distinguished students. What few institutions have is a program to respond to student financial needs when the usual resources are exhausted, tangled in bureaucratic impotence, or so restricted as to not apply to needs such as, but not limited to, catastrophic illness, major loss of family income, or anticipated loss of housing.”

Student recipients are limited to those who are in financial crisis or necessity for the five basic human needs: oxygen, water, food, shelter, and sleep. Recipients are usually limited to juniors and seniors and are chosen by the college’s leadership and faculty.
Milton W. Brown | Nursing Students
Sarah Mueller | Nursing Students

‘You can see the stress melt away’


Sarah Mueller, the college’s Student Services counselor, says the Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund has been a blessing for many students.


“We have lots of students putting themselves through school and need help with rent or paying for medication or a new tire on their car or some type of unexpected expense,” Mueller said. “It’s nice to be able to help them through this crisis situation, so they can continue their education and become a nurse.”


Students who are single parents or on fixed incomes, in particular, have a difficult time making ends meet, especially if they can’t work full time because of the intensity of their nursing curriculum. A financial crisis could force a student to quit or delay their education.


Even if they don’t quit, the stress related to the financial problems compounds the stress they already may be feeling from their coursework and clinical experiences.


“Stress can have a negative effect on their mindset and overall level of functioning,” Mueller said. “If we can help reduce that financial stress, they can focus on school. We’ll get to see them graduate and they’ll get to better their lives by getting a degree and becoming a nurse.”


When a student is told about the grants available through the Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund, Mueller says they are relieved and grateful.


“You can see the stress melt away,” she said. 


‘One last thing I have worry about’

Mueller says some students are faced with major life challenges, such as a divorce, job loss or medical crisis that can greatly affect their ability to pay their monthly bills, everyday living expenses, and college tuition.

Sometimes, it’s a one-time disaster like a burst pipe or a broken-down vehicle.

For Sarah Kramer, the unexpected expense of replacing her air-conditioner wiped out her savings. She’s a student worker at the college and has another part-time job and was able to pay most of her monthly bills. But she didn’t have enough left for food and gas.

It was important for Sarah that her daughters, Rylie and Kirsten, continue to enjoy their activities like soccer and marching band, and she didn’t want them to worry about money being tight. She also knew that she was so close to getting her degree and a stable, well-paying job, that it didn’t make sense to jeopardize her grades by taking on more work hours.

The Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund was just what she needed to bridge the financial gap.

“It’s such a relief,” Sarah said. “It’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
Milton W. Brown
Nursing Class of 1916 | Nursing Students
About Milton W. Brown and Helen J. Brown

Dr. Milton W. Brown, born in 1901 and formerly of Payson, IL, was a graduate of Seymour High School. His sister, Florence E. (Brown) Lenz (pictured left below) graduated from Blessing School of Nursing in 1916, which may have been the impetus of his endowed gift upon his death to the School. Their father, the Rev. Frank J. Brown of the Payson Congregational Church, gave the graduation address at Florence’s graduation on May 18, 1916. Florence’s first job after graduation was working at Blessing Hospital.

Milton Brown received his BS degree from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, in 1923. He received a Master’s Degree in 1926 and Ph.D. in 1946, both from the University of Chicago. He served more than 33 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools in Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Jersey, and as associate professor in the department of education at Carthage College in Carthage, IL. He spent five years as director of education at the Board of National Missions of the United Presbyterian Church in the USA.

Helen (Johnson) Brown was born in 1897 in Galesburg, graduated from Knox College in 1918, and was a librarian at the Galesburg Public Library for a number of years.

The two were married on July 29, 1924, in Galesburg. They had two children, both who passed away at young ages.

The Browns returned to Quincy at the end of their lives. Mrs. Brown passed away July 12, 1980, in Quincy. Dr. Brown died Jan. 17, 1981, also in Quincy. Upon his death, he honored his wife’s memory – and the legacy of his sister and the nursing profession – with the Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund.

The Blessing Foundation and the Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing & Health Sciences will always be extremely grateful for Dr. Brown’s generosity and compassion.

If you would like to donate to the Helen J. Brown Crisis Fund or any Blessing Foundation fund – or create a new fund like Dr. Brown did when he saw a need – please email us or call 217-223-8400, ext. 4800.

Please note that 100% of your donation goes directly to the cause you choose.